Leading the Electric Revolution

EVSE: last-mile EV power delivery

By 2032, the number of electric vehicles sold will account for over 67%, and plugging in is just the beginning when it comes to reducing emissions. When used for automobile transportation, electric power must be transferred to an EV for use via EVSE. At the consumer level, EVSE is little more than a plug, adapting either a 120 V AC or 220 V AC outlet to a vehicle’s power input port. The EV charging electronics, which are located onboard the vehicle itself, convert this AC power into the DC supply required to charge the vehicle’s battery pack.

Transportation is an EV’s primary function, but longer journeys and an improved commuting experience wouldn’t be possible without the support of a constantly evolving EV charging network. When it comes to public EVSE, consumers are often reluctant to wait the many hours required to charge via AC current. Devices like Tesla’s Superchargers instead provide inverted DC power directly from the plug. This enables a high energy transfer rate, adding up to hundreds of miles of EV range in just minutes.

Such high energy transfer rates make safety and electrical isolation even more critical than in residential applications. Additionally, public-facing EVSE typically experiences higher usage and more wear and tear, meaning they must withstand hot and cold temperatures, rain, grime, and other abuses, making this a truly challenging application. To meet these requirements, high-quality sealing and thermal management components can be implemented to enhance the resilience of EVSE and ensure user safety. To improve the EV charging infrastructure and address its key challenges, customers often rely on:

• Norseal® Series products to provide protection from extreme environmental conditions at component interfaces and equipment enclosures.
• ThermaCool® products, which offer a range of solutions to dissipate excess heat generated by high-power electrical components during charging cycles.
• CHR® Tapes for proven performance in a wide range of insulation and wire harness applications.
• Norbond® Series products for permanent adhesive bonding, such as for emblems, exterior attachments, and structural panels.

Power destination and storage

Another critical feature of EVs is their ability to serve as impromptu energy storage. This allows them to double as an excellent grid backup device, putting their massive energy storage capabilities to use when connected.

EVs face many of the same isolation and durability challenges as the equipment used to supply them, while being confined to a compact, mobile shell. EV battery packs must therefore be exceptionally well-designed from both a mechanical and thermal perspective and incorporate high-quality components.

In this application, compression pads provide moderate contact pressure against the battery cells. Each time a battery charges and discharges, a chemical reaction causes the cells to expand slightly. Although minimal, this dimensional change can stress electrical and thermal connections and cause rattling in battery components. Thermal interface materials and cushioning pads provide a stable base for cells in the battery pack. Compression pads offer optimal cushioning support to the batteries, accommodating the reversible breathing (dimensional change) of the cell during its charge and discharge cycle, as well as the gradual swelling that occurs over the battery’s lifespan. Thermal interface materials act as a heat sink, providing a thermal path for heat to dissipate from the battery. They must have excellent, soft conformability without compromising thermal conductivity, which a product like TC2009 can deliver. Gasket seals such as F-15, R10404 Series, or the more cost-effective micro-cellular polyurethane PS-V0, provide isolation from the external environment. Most importantly, our thermal runaway protection materials are designed to protect EV battery cells from thermal runaway events and minimise/mitigate fire propagation.

These solutions collectively contribute to safer, more reliable battery packs and can also be used to design a safer and more reliable energy distribution system, essentially a BESS on wheels.

Grid infrastructure technology: the foundation

The current trend is towards a distributed power generation and storage model, where consumers generate power on-site via solar arrays, and that energy can be used, stored, or potentially fed into the grid.

Transformers are a key component here, enabling energy transfer between high-voltage transmission lines and consumer equipment. Some power loss is inherent in transformer use, so efficiency is crucial to maximise the energy transfer between sources and uses. Since power transformers have a service life of 25 years or more and are exposed to extreme climate conditions, durable designs and materials are essential. Internally, coil windings and dielectric materials may be secured with robust adhesive tape, which may need to work in an oil-filled environment.

Distributed generation (e.g., home solar) means that some power is produced and consumed locally. This eliminates the transformer and its associated losses but requires a more carefully designed grid setup. This power may be used immediately or stored on-site, either to supplement high demand or as a resource during blackouts. This power is typically stored in a battery energy storage system (BESS), which is a dedicated power storage module located inside or outside the home. Increasingly, as EV ownership grows, this can also take the form of a vehicle-to-home system, where the vehicle can serve as a backup power supply.

In any case, such energy storage devices are often based on lithium-ion technology, which must safely and efficiently undergo thousands of charge and discharge cycles. The volatility of lithium-ion is well-known, so any Li-ion technology placed in or near someone’s home must be as reliable and safe as possible.

As with power transformers, interface and attachment materials like high-performance tapes and compression pads enable safe, efficient, and reliable operation. These materials help prevent dangerous arcing between battery cells, ensure electrical and thermal interfaces are fully connected, and reduce the risk of thermal runaway. Solutions such as our TRP series allow design engineers to proactively address thermal runaway and mitigate the risk of fire spreading from one cell to another during a thermal event. Our Norseal TRP1000 product (coming soon) is a proprietary silicone foam with mica surface layers, designed to offer high resistance to temperature and flame, as well as greater durability in withstanding a thermal event.

Extreme customised solutions to meet the toughest challenges

Our Tape Solutions team is ready and eager to develop bespoke products that address today’s most pressing challenges and support innovations in electrification. Success in electrification will help create greater efficiencies, reduce waste, minimise pollution, and, most importantly, lower CO2 emissions, contributing to a more sustainable world. When it comes to tackling a specific EV, EVSE, or smart grid challenge, we’re ready to think about the future today.