Automotive
Battery cover in serial production
1. July 2019
Battery cover in serial production
2 minutes spent reading
Volkmar Held
As a freelance writer, Volkmar Held reports for voestalpine on topics that move people. The content of his stories ranges from archaeometallurgy to future technologies.
Electromobility introduces new vehicle components to automotive construction. voestalpine Automotive Components Schwäbisch Gmünd GmbH has now started serial production of at least a quarter of a million battery housing covers.
Technically, the drive batteries in electric cars are accumulators, but the term “battery” has now become widely accepted. For that reason, the most recent, typical electromobility component is a battery housing. Depending on the vehicle type, it can be the largest component in a car; equally large are the demands made of this component and its production. It was many years ago that voestalpine Automotive Components Schwäbisch Gmünd GmbH began the process of tackling these challenges.
voestalpine experience with battery housings
At this Swabian voestalpine site the era of producing components for electric cars began with a battery housing cover. After producing the first sample two years back, serial production started a few weeks ago. Key Account Manager Wilhelm Druckenmüller describes the long-term, close development cooperation between the voestalpine company and the customer as an important milestone in establishing the company as a future supplier for electric vehicles.
Challenging production details for electric cars
The production of these new vehicle components is a design and manufacturing challenge for voestalpine Automotive Components Schwäbisch Gmünd GmbH. The ability to reliably execute the three drawing steps required to shape the component, plus two subsequent cutting operations for various cooling and other connections, are as vital as the final product’s ability to prevent any leaks.
"voestalpine Automotive Components Schwäbisch Gmünd GmbH’s entry into electric vehicle component production has been a total success with this battery housing cover. This is evidence of our materials and manufacturing expertise, and demonstrates our company’s ability to fulfil future orders as a supplier of complex vehicle components for electric cars."
The size of half a table tennis table: a cover for the battery housing in an electric SUV produced by a German premium manufacturer—here the project design.
Volkmar Held