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GroKuBat

Battery housings made of glass fiber-reinforced thermoplastics offer great potential for reducing the weight of traction batteries.
The project developed a near-series demonstrator that shows how material, design, and manufacturing can be optimally combined to enable lighter and more easily integrated battery housings for electric vehicles.

Winner of the JEC Innovation Award

The GroKuBat project has been honored with the prestigious JEC Innovation Award in the category “Automotive & Road Transportation – Process.” This internationally recognized award honors outstanding innovations in the composites industry and highlights particularly practical technologies with high industrial relevance.

The award confirms the success of the joint research project, which was led by Chemnitz University of Technology and implemented in collaboration with strong industry and research partners. The aim was to develop a near-series battery housing made of glass reinforced thermoplastic for electric vehicles that reduces weight, improves sustainability, and is suitable for large-scale production.

An award for innovation

The JEC Innovation Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the international composites industry. It recognizes projects that set new standards in technology, sustainability, and industrial feasibility. The award for the GroKuBat project demonstrates the potential that lies in combining innovative materials, sophisticated design, and efficient production processes.

Project description

In purely battery-powered passenger cars, the traction battery located in the underbody of the vehicle has become the established design. Despite the favorable center of gravity achieved as a result, there is still a demand for lighter batteries, as high weight continues to have a negative impact on range and driving dynamics. The increased use of lightweight materials for battery housings, such as glass reinforced thermoplastics, is a promising option for counteracting the high weight. Fundamental research in recent years has shown that the high mechanical, thermal, and electrical requirements can be met with these materials. 

As part of this joint project, such a housing was to be developed and constructed for large-scale series production, taking into account the entire value chain. Design and subsequent manufacturing options are closely interrelated in this context. The optimized design of the manufacturing processes, the design and selection of materials via simulation and practical implementation, and the development of a production-ready housing design that also enables improved integration into body structures were considered in parallel in the project and transferred to a demonstrator.

Motivation

In the short term, CO₂ emissions caused by road traffic can only be reduced through the use of battery-powered electric vehicles. There is therefore a current need for meaningful further development of battery systems in terms of weight optimization, efficient use of materials, and suitable production processes that also improve the CO₂ balance across the entire life cycle.

Objective

The specific objectives of the project include the development and construction of a demonstrator in the form of a plastic battery housing that can be integrated into a body shell structure and meets all the necessary mechanical requirements in a real crash test scenario. In addition, the process for manufacturing thermoplastic press components had to be further developed in order to be able to process and handle the large quantities of material required in an automated process close to series production. 

Another goal was to develop a methodology for process simulation to improve component quality, shorten development time, and perform process validation. Finally, an LCA analysis was performed to compare the CO2 footprint of the newly developed plastic battery box with the series-production component made of aluminum. All the goals set and parameters specified were achieved in the project.

Project duration

January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2024

Funding program

"Neue Fahrzeug- und Systemtechnologien"
Funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

Project partners

  • WICKERT Maschinenbau GmbH
  • Mahle Filtersysteme GmbH (coordinator)
  • Formenbau GF GmbH
  • In2p GmbH
  • Gerlinger Industries GmbH
  • Fraunhofer ICT
  • University of Technology Chemnitz

Innovative manufacturing for tomorrow's battery technology

The pressing process developed in the project and the optimized component design demonstrated that high-performance, lightweight, and economically producible battery housings made of fiber composite materials are a realistic alternative to conventional aluminum solutions. The JEC Innovation Award underscores the innovative strength of the project and the role of Wickert Maschinenbau as a technology partner for forward-looking production solutions in electromobility.

We are happy to assist you

Steve Büchner

Steve Büchner

+49 6341 9343-93 S.Buechner@Wickert-Presstech.de
Mathias Kiefer

Mathias Kiefer

+49 6341 9343-870 M.Kiefer@Wickert-Presstech.de

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