Studies have shown in electric vehicles fires are less common but when they break out, they attract a lot of attention. This is especially true thanks to loud recalls such as the one that brought the Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV to its knees.
However, help is on the way as LG Chem has developed a new “plastic product” that is designed to prevent thermal overclocking in EV batteries.
The company did not go into details, but said that “the new advanced flame retardant product created by LG Chem is a high-performance engineering plastic product made from a variety of composites, including polyphenylene oxide (PPO) and polyamide (PA) resin.” They further stated that testing has shown that the product is able to “prevent the spread of flames caused by thermal propagation for more than ten minutes at 1000 ° C (1832 ° F), which is 10 times longer than conventional plastics”. LG Chem claims that it is “the longest lasting fire resistance in the world” and noted that the plastic product retains its shape under changing temperature conditions.
This is important because the company noted that thermal take-off is the root cause The EV battery ignites. As they explained, “various stressors can cause heat to build up in the battery” and “if the battery exceeds the temperature threshold, a fire can occur due to a short circuit caused by factors such as recharging and excessive discharge.”
While the risk of fire can never be completely eliminated, the plastic product will give drivers and passengers more time to evacuate in the event of damage and overheating of the battery.
Production is scheduled to begin next year, and the company is already in the process of obtaining patents in Korea, the United States and some European countries.
https://www.carscoops.com/2022/05/lg-chem-develops-new-product-to-prevent-thermal-runaway-in-ev-batteries-production-slated-for-2023/
