Graphene Nanotubes Offer an Advanced Set of Properties to Meet Ev Battery Pack Standards
Graphene nanotubes make it possible to preserve high thermal and chemical resistance together with stable electrical conductivity
Nanotube-enhanced electrically conductive PPS for battery packs perfectly complies with Li-ion battery pack system standards.
Manufacturers have a solution for optimizing performance, energy output, and cost structure of their battery packs to meet the trends of the booming EV market.
Some 6.6 million electric vehicles were sold around the world in 2021. Market trends are leading electric vehicle battery pack manufacturers to improve battery characteristics, design, and cost-efficiency, aiding their adoption by the mass market.
A leading Chinese company in engineering plastics and new composite materials, Genius, together with OCSiAl, the world leader in the production of graphene nanotubes, has developed an advanced engineering solution for battery packs. They utilize reinforced glass fiber filled polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), with 0.3 wt.% graphene nanotubes replacing 10 wt.% conductive carbon black. The final parts show surface resistivity of 103 Ohm/sq after injection molding and fully meet the high battery standard.
Traditional agents added into thermoplastics have numerous drawbacks, increasing the number of out-of-spec parts and forcing producers to make compromises in performance: carbon black can’t provide stable and homogenous electrical conductivity, while carbon fiber can’t provide targeted low resistivity.
“In contrast to conventional additives, graphene nanotubes used at an ultra-low effective concentration make it possible to preserve the outstanding chemical and thermal performance of high glass filled PPS, including its dimensional stability at ambient conditions. What’s more, they preserve the required MFI level and impact viscosity, thereby providing acceptable injectability, which is hard to achieve using multi-wall carbon nanotubes,”- said Loyes Zhi, Managing Director of Sales and Commercial for Greater China & SEA, OCSiAl Group.
An easy-to-handle pre-dispersed concentrate of nanotubes, Tuballtm Matrix, allows good processability and the freedom to incorporate other functional ingredients. Permanent homogenous resistivity without “hot spots,” retained color, good surface quality, and high performance of the battery pack reduce the assembly costs of battery enclosures, increasing their safety, durability, compliance, and affordability, which are the major drivers on the EV market.
ArburgXvision Broadcast: Plastics and the Environment – Plastics Industry Presents Technical Solutions
Topic of the 13th broadcast arburgXvision: “Using plastic to protect the climate as a way out of the environmental crisis”
Cooperation: “Plastic is only a recyclable material when it circulates.”
Great response: Over 1,250 viewers live, another 1,300 in the follow-up
It almost sounded provocative: “Using plastic to protect the climate as a way out of the environmental crisis” was the topic of the interactive Internet TV programme arburgXvision on 22nd November September 2022. Gerhard Böhm, Arburg Managing Director Sales and Service, Bertram Stern, Sustainability Manager at Arburg, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Josef Endres, Managing Director of the Institute for Plastics and Recycling Technology (IKK) at Leibniz University, joined host Guido Marschall in the TV studio to discuss the apparent contrasts and prospects in plastics processing.
The issue is a concern for society, science and industry alike: What do we have to do to live with plastic as a recyclable material and find a way out of the environmental crisis in the process? Around 1,250 viewers followed the programme live and made active use of the opportunity to ask the experts questions via chat. In the follow-up (as of 26 September 2022), a further 1,300 interested people found out more about this exciting topic on the event website and in the social media channels.
Circular economy: the whole value chain in demand
Three issues were of crucial importance in the expert discussion for a successful circular economy: Design for Recycling, high recyclate quality and the need for all parties involved in the manufacturing of plastic products to work closely together along the entire value chain.
First of all, there is the original material. For Gerhard Böhm, one thing is certain: the fewer materials there are in a package, the simpler and more cost-effective, and thus also more profitable, the recycling process is. It is also important to design the product features in a sensible way. “Why is coffee packaged in capsules that have a shelf life of ten years or more? Hardly anyone keeps coffee for so long,” says Gerhard Böhm as an example. We also have to think about whether it makes sense, for example, to wrap plastic yoghurt cups in paper. While it is good to increase consumers’ awareness of material separation, if such containers are completely disposed of in the yellow bag, efficient, recycling by type into new products becomes impossible. This in turn touches on the issue of sustainability. For Prof. Dr Hans-Josef Endres “a hot potato”. The clear goal is less combustion and less exports. “We are working to drive recycling rates upwards.” After all, the quantity and quality of recyclates is an important building block in finding a way out of the environmental crisis.
Application expert from Lossburg joins in
A contribution from the Arburg headquarters in Lossburg was a fitting accompaniment. Christian Homp, Group Manager Applications & Industries, presented projects and technologies such as “R-Cycle” or “HolyGrail” for innovative labelling and single-sort recycling of plastic products. He also invited customers to come to Lossburg or to the K trade fair to test the processing of alternative materials together and to discuss new solutions.
Getting consumers on board
The quality of the recyclates is the key question, says Bertram Stern. But here, too, all those involved have to work together, as only closed loops are effective! Prof. Hans-Josef Endres added that the advantages of plastics must be made much clearer to the consumer. For example, that regenerative energy would not even be possible without the use of plastic. “The processing of recyclates is an innovation driver,” Gerhard Böhm emphasised and suggested getting consumers on board and explaining what progress the industry has made in the last three or four years. He believes that there has already been enough said about what is not possible. Now it is time to show what the industry can already achieve, for example at K 2022 in Düsseldorf. In this context, all participants regretted that the world’s leading trade fair is only open to trade visitors and not to the general public.
Flow simulation data can significantly reduce the time until the real sampling of a tool, and avoid expensive tool modifications. The prerequisite is that the development partners work on the project in a centralised, simultaneous workflow instead of sequentially and contribute their know-how simultaneously. This is the result of a joint project in which Borealis, Oerlikon HRS flow and ENGEL used the example of a demanding mould to show how successfully injection moulding parameters can be optimised in the simulation and transferred directly to the machine as an initial setting proposal, provided that all relevant data of the injection moulding machine, the processed material as well as the hot runner system and other components are available. The experience gained from this close cooperation, the precision of the spot landing achieved with it and possible consequences for practice are presented by the partners in the context of a documentation that can be accessed online and will be presented at K2022.
The simulation was carried out with the aid of Moldflow , using the example of a family mould with three cavities and a weight difference of 1:11 from the smallest to the largest component. ENGEL provided a duo injection moulding machine, detailed values, for example on the geometries of the nozzle used, as well as the sim link data interface for the direct connection of Moldflow to the CC300 control unit of the injection moulding machine. Borealis provided the comprehensive, very precise data on the flow behaviour of the Daplen EE001AI polypropylene, and Oerlikon HRS flow contributed a servo-driven 8-cavity hot runner system that allows the volume flow to be controlled and thus each cavity to be filled individually.
In the traditional process, the parties involved do not discuss possible causes of faults and remedial measures until after sampling has been completed. In the project described here, optimisation with regard to temperature control, injection characteristics and all other pressure and time-related injection moulding parameters started jointly and immediately at the beginning of the simulation. The parameters determined in several iteration steps were then transferred to the machine via sim link. This data exchange between simulation software and injection moulding machine can take place in both directions. It thus also enables the analysis of process data, which in turn provides potential for process optimisation. Access to sensitive design data is not necessary.
The real production start-up underlined the high precision of the settings found via Moldflow . The real filling behaviour and the positioning of the weld lines matched the simulation 100 %. The warpage behaviour of the largest part, the door trim measuring around 600 mm x 400 mm, was predicted to within ±2 mm, and the dimensions across the diagonal of over 650 mm were maintained with maximum deviations of only 0.04 %. After a few optimisation steps and without major manual readjustment, all three moulded parts met the quality requirements.
This joint project has not only shown that real production has run almost identically to the simulation, but the result also opens up potential for more sustainable production. For example, it is possible to see in the design phase whether a machine is suitable for the intended product or whether energy can be saved and production efficiency increased by using a smaller machine. In addition, the setting data suggestion developed in the simulation reduces the number of necessary setting cycles. This leads to fewer rejects and lower energy consumption during sampling.
Markus Kralicek, Business Development Manager at Borealis, Michael Fischer, Head of Business Development Automotive Technologies at ENGEL, and Stephan Berz, Vice President Sales at Oerlikon HRSflow and General Manager DACH, will report on the project itself and many additional details in a free, off-line webinar at https://www.hrsflow.com/ww/en/events/borealis-engel-oerlikon-hrsflow-webinar. In addition, the speakers will present the results during K 2022 at the Oerlikon HRSflow stand (Hall 1, Stand D10) on Thursday, 20.10.2022 at 4.30 p.m. and on Tuesday, 25.10.2022 at 4.00 p.m.
Digitally Networked Production Cell Communicates With Mould and Periphery
An especially “smart” exhibit at the Arburg trade fair stand “13A13” and an example for the future of digital production cells is the turnkey system based on a hybrid Allrounder 630 H: the injection moulding machine communicates via the Gestica control system and OPC UA with mould, hot runner controller, material dryer and automation. The “Moldlife Sense” computer system is integrated into the 32-cavity mould provided by Arburg’s partner Hack, and enables monitoring across the complete life cycle.
In this example, the practical advantages of digitalisation and automation in plastic processing are especially evident in the production of blood vials for medical technology.
New interface: machine communicates with mould
The “Moldlife Sense” computer system enables the complete life cycle to be monitored. Arburg has implemented the new solution for communication between mould and machine together with the cooperation and development partner Hack. A hybrid “Packaging” Allrounder 630 H in clean-room design produces, with the 32-cavity mould of Hack, transparent blood vials made of shatterproof PET. The location of changes occurring at the mould can be precisely assigned with the help of a sensor system. Two cameras take images or videos, e.g. of mould separation and parts ejection. There are also four displacement as well as four knock sensors for the tie-bar guidance. In this way, process changes can be detected at an early stage and damage to the mould reliably avoided. The data is passed directly to the machine control system via an OPC UA interface.
The “Moldlife Sense” computer system enables the complete mould life cycle to be monitored.
Gestica features for quick and secure working
In addition to the mould, the central Gestica control system, hot runner controller (Mold Masters), a special PET material dryer (Eisbär) and the automation (Waldorf) are connected to the central Gestica control system via OPC-UA. In this way, the temperatures of hot runner and dryer can be monitored, and the automation started and stopped directly via the Gestica. The hot runner controllers also communicate via the Euromap (EM) 82.2, and the automation via the new interface EM 79. Further features such as the “aXw Control PressurePilot” controller function and the “aXw Control MeltAssist” provide additional process reliability and enable comfortable and quick working.
In-line quality assurance
32 blood vials are produced in a cycle time of around 7.5 seconds, and removed via a side-entry robot made by Waldorf. The encapsulated automation is equipped with four cameras, which check that the components are straight. A QA request can also be called up at the push of a button.
Interview with Jochen Hirdina, Head of Plastics Technology at Krones AG
Mr. Hirdina, Krones is pursuing its own sustainability strategy. What are the cornerstones?
Krones has set itself very ambitious climate targets for 2030. As a company, we will have reduced our carbon footprint by 80 percent by that time. For our products, we plan to reduce carbon emissions by 25 percent. We will also reduce hazardous waste and drinking water consumption by ten percent. Another important element in our sustainability strategy is to contribute our part towards a closed-loop recycling economy. We want to help avoid plastic in the form of waste. In the beverage industry, we are well on the way to completely closing the loop with PET bottles in Germany, and things are also moving in Europe. The reason for this is, that the European Union has made provisions for recyclates that are forcing our customers and the industry to take action. I’m witnessing a great deal of movement in that regard right now.
Could you give us an example?
First of all, you have to realise how the cycle works. Products are manufactured, which are then returned after use and reprocessed into a new product. Collection is of course the basic prerequisite for a cycle to function, but you also have to know what happens to the material, and where you’ll reuse it. The ideal scenario is to use it again in exactly for the same application it had originally. This works relatively well with short-lived products such as bottles, because there is a high turnover rate. In other areas, it will probably be much more difficult. A large discounter in Germany has started to build its own value chain for a closed loop. For me, this is a kind of blueprint for how the whole process can work.
If we look at the situation in Germany, a lot has happened in recent years. For instance, not all PET bottles were included in the cycle in Germany until now in the beverage sector. Bottles containing fruit juice for example were not included. This has now been standardised, and the bottle deposit now applies to the entire beverage range. We have collection rates of 98 percent for PET bottles, and it has been found that the collected PET quantities are actually used again to produce new PET bottles. So, Germany is already doing very well in terms of the closed cycle.
But when some big companies like Lidl do something like this, there will not be enough left for the many small ones.
That is indeed the reality of today. However, this is due to the fact that we still have too little recycling capacity available. It must of course increase so that the returns can be completely converted into new recyclate. Viewed globally, the current low capacity is a consequence of the lack of economic efficiency of recyclates to date. In recent years, it was simply cheaper to buy virgin material because of the low oil price. Meanwhile, we have very high energy prices, and the use of recyclates is regulated by law. Because of the price development and the increased demand, recycling can now be implemented economically. We will therefore see an expansion of recycling capacities in the years to come. Another factor of course is the raised awareness of sustainability in the industry. For example, a major US beverage company has announced that it will only use rPET for some of its products.
In addition to its core business of bottling plants, Krones also has recycling plants. How did that come about?
We have basically been involved in recycling for a very long time. We gained our first experience in the field in 2000, when we built the first PET recycling plant in Switzerland, together with another company. In addition, we have decades of experience in building cleaning machines for bottles. After all, every recycling plant needs cleaning machines to remove the label and product residues, for example. And we were aware early on that plastic recycling represents the future, so for this and a number of other reasons, we decided to enter the recycling sector in 2009.
Contiform 3 Pro, Linearofen
We undertake complete project planning for recycling plants, which is a core competence for us as a plant manufacturer. We offer our own core modules for this purpose. MetaPure W, for example, is a washing module for plastics. And to bring plastics back to the desired product properties, we offer a system named MetaPure S. Our recycling business is very important for us, even if we are not the market leader in that sector, which we are for beverage systems. However, our recycling technology is very well received by our customers.
Does it make sense to link such recycling plants with an application, such as a beverage bottling plant?
In principle, it is of course possible to use the material from a recycling plant as a starting material for the production of new preforms. It is also possible to place the interface in a beverage plant and use the recyclate to make new bottles, however, it won’t be integrated into the process. The reason for this is easy to explain: ideally, a recycling plant will be operational for 365 days a year; that’s when it’s at its most efficient. In a beverage line on the other hand, there are fluctuations, because people drink more in summer than in winter, so more bottles are filled accordingly. During the summertime, the lines have to run around the clock, whereas in winter, you can skip a shift or two. One-to-one interlocking would not work and would not make sense economically, either.
How important is cross-company exchange in the circular economy?
This is indispensable in view of the complexity of the circular economy and the many industries involved in it. In the past, these different industries had few points of contact. If we want to get to grips with the common problem of plastic waste, exchange is essential. At present, there is still room for improvement. Everyone has to be open in their dealings with partners, otherwise it will be difficult to implement an end-to-end circular economy. Fifteen or twenty years ago, companies were still extremely secretive towards each other. Fortunately, this has improved, because, if we want to leave a liveable planet for future generations, we all have to pull and work together, and time is currently working against us.
Alphagary, Orbia’s Polymer Solutions Brand, Introduces Infinitude – PVC Compounds Built With Recycled Content.
Alphagary, a global leader in the design and manufacture of compounds, stabilizers and plasticizers, and a division of Orbia’s Polymer Solutions business group, introduced today the first of a new series of PVC compounds, under the brand Infinitude
Infinitude vinyl compounds, available in natural base or pre-colored, are designed for both molding and extrusion applications. Grades formulated with up to 70 percent recycled content have been successfully processed by Alphagary’s customers into footwear soles, irrigation and garden hoses, floor mats, accessories and floor mats for the automotive industry, and wire jacketing and insulation, providing customers with eco-friendly options that reuse waste originally intended for landfills. Said Angelica Fram, Head of Quality Assurance, Alphagary Colombia, “Based on our lab analysis and customer feedback, we are happy to report that Infinitude compounds function similarly to compounds formulated with all prime materials in how they process and perform in the end applications.”
As part of the larger PVC-IN-MOTION project pioneered by sister company, Vestolit, the Infinitude vinyl compound series formulated and manufactured by Alphagary offers a second life for plastics that have been discarded. Said John Jaddou, Alphagary’s Global Business Development Director, “Living our sustainability goals led us to partnering with customers who were looking for ways to recycle their discarded product. The PVC-IN-MOTION venture helps to find avenues where local processing companies separate and clean the material, and then process and ship to Alphagary so we can incorporate into our compounds. We perform quality inspection just like we would for in-coming prime materials.”
By building partnerships with customers and local processing companies, Alphagary has secured usable, consistent supply of recycled material. Additional Infinitude samples have been shipped to customers to be molded or extruded into a wide variety of end-products. Said John Jaddou, “We are inspired and encouraged by the interest customers are showing in trialing and marketing products made from materials that promote a circular economy and reduce reliance on fossil-based resources. Together with our TPE compound Evoprene ECO formulated with bio-based ingredients, the Infinitude PVC compound series, formulated with recycled content, demonstrates our commitment to sustainable development.”
At Orbia, sustainability is deeply embedded in our businesses, is a core component of our growth strategy, and drives our culture. Our purpose-led focus on addressing the world’s most pressing challenges drives our business agenda and our strategic approach to sustainability.
Ineos Styrolution’s 2021 Sustainability Report Outlines Company Goal of Net Zero Emissions by 2050
Report announces company goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050
Company aims to sell half a million tonnes of ECO products in 2030 to support customers in meeting their sustainability targets
Ineos Styrolution’s, the world’s leading styrenics supplier, has stepped up its commitment to climate protection and increased circularity. Its latest sustainability report focuses on the company’s measures to reduce its carbon footprint, while expanding and scaling up its ECO portfolio.
The report outlines the three main pillars of the company’s new sustainability strategy to:
achieve net zero emissions by 2050, with an expected milestone of 45% greenhouse gas reductions by 2030
be the front-runner in the circular economy with sustainable products that live up to premium quality expectations
have a positive impact on societies with safe and efficient materials.
Ineos Styrolution’s ongoing commitment to bring new low-carbon, circular solutions to market has resulted in an extensive ECO portfolio of polystyrene, ABS and styrenics specialties that is second to none. The company’s commitment and continual improvement has been recognised by EcoVadis, resulting in back-to-back platinum ratings in 2020 and 2021, and placing the company in the top 1% of over 75,000 companies assessed.
“We have set our sustainability sights high and are working hard to bring these solutions to market. I am proud to see that with every introduction of a new ECO solution we are proving ourselves as the most reliable partner to our customers – helping them achieve their goals, as well as ours”, says Steve Harrington, CEO Ineos Styrolution.
This report has been prepared in accordance with Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Standards, the most widely recognised reporting framework for sustainability and has been assured externally.
Visitors to the K Fair this October can explore Ineos Styrolution’s diverse range of ECO products, discover the state-of-the-art technologies used to make them, and meet the people that are making this happen.
What goes on inside planets like Neptune and Uranus? To find out, an international team headed by the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), the University of Rostockand France’s École Polytechnique conducted a novel experiment. They fired a laser at a thin film of simple PET plastic and investigated what happened using intensive laser flashes. One result was that the researchers were able to confirm their earlier thesis that it really does rain diamonds inside the ice giants at the periphery of our solar system. And another was that this method could establish a new way of producing nanodiamonds, which are needed, for example, for highly-sensitive quantum sensors.
The conditions in the interior of icy giant planets like Neptune and Uranus are extreme: temperatures reach several thousand degrees Celsius, and the pressure is millions of times greater than in the Earth’s atmosphere. Nonetheless, states like this can be simulated briefly in the lab: powerful laser flashes hit a film-like material sample, heat it up to 6,000 degrees Celsius for the blink of an eye and generate a shock wave that compresses the material for a few nanoseconds to a million times the atmospheric pressure. “Up to now, we used hydrocarbon films for these kinds of experiment,” explains Dominik Kraus, physicist at HZDR and professor at the University of Rostock. “And we discovered that this extreme pressure produced tiny diamonds, known as nanodiamonds.”
Using these films, however, it was only partially possible to simulate the interior of planets – because ice giants not only contain carbon and hydrogen but also vast amounts of oxygen. When searching for suitable film material, the group hit on an everyday substance: PET, the resin out of which ordinary plastic bottles are made. “PET has a good balance between carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to simulate the activity in ice planets,” Kraus explains. The team conducted its experiments at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, the location of the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), a powerful, accelerator-based X-ray laser. They used it to analyze what happens when intensive laser flashes hit a PET film, employing two measurement methods at the same time: X-ray diffraction to determine whether nanodiamonds were produced and so-called small-angle scattering to see how quickly and how large the diamonds grew.
A big helper: oxygen
“The effect of the oxygen was to accelerate the splitting of the carbon and hydrogen and thus encourage the formation of nanodiamonds,” says Dominik Kraus, reporting on the results. “It meant the carbon atoms could combine more easily and form diamonds.” This further supports the assumption that it literally rains diamonds inside the ice giants. The findings are probably not just relevant to Uranus and Neptune but to innumerable other planets in our galaxy as well. While such ice giants used to be thought of as rarities, it now seems clear that they are probably the most common form of planet outside the solar system.
The team also encountered hints of another kind: In combination with the diamonds, water should be produced – but in an unusual variant. “So-called superionic water may have formed,” Kraus opines. “The oxygen atoms form a crystal lattice in which the hydrogen nuclei move around freely.” Because the nuclei are electrically charged, superionic water can conduct electric current and thus help to create the ice giants’ magnetic field. In their experiments, however, the research group was not yet able to unequivocally prove the existence of superionic water in the mixture with diamonds. This is planned to happen in close collaboration with the University of Rostock at the European XFEL in Hamburg, the world’s most powerful X-ray laser. There, HZDR heads the international user consortium HIBEF which offers ideal conditions for experiments of this kind.
Precision plant for nanodiamonds
In addition to this rather fundamental knowledge, the new experiment also opens up perspectives for a technical application: the tailored production of nanometer-sized diamonds, which are already included in abrasives and polishing agents. In the future, they are supposed to be used as highly-sensitive quantum sensors, medical contrast agents and efficient reaction accelerators, for splitting CO2 for example. “So far, diamonds of this kind have mainly been produced by detonating explosives,” Kraus explains. “With the help of laser flashes, they could be manufactured much more cleanly in the future.”
The scientists’ vision: A high-performance laser fires ten flashes per second at a PET film which is illuminated by the beam at intervals of a tenth of a second. The nanodiamonds thus created shoot out of the film and land in a collecting tank filled with water. There they are decelerated and can then be filtered and effectively harvested. The essential advantage of this method in contrast to production by explosives is that “the nanodiamonds could be custom cut with regard to size or even doping with other atoms,” Dominik Kraus emphasizes. “The X-ray laser means we have a lab tool that can precisely control the diamonds’ growth.”
Blend Colours Launches the UHT Black Masterbatch, Redefines Milk Packaging
With product specifications validated in compliance with the proven and accepted ASTM standards, and Blend Colours being a well-accepted brand by the global markets, the UHT Masterbatch will help processors with its significant value proposition.
‘Making in India’ for the world! A statement well substantiated by the R & D team at Blend Colours with the successful launch of its UHT Masterbatch. This well validated product provides high grade of opacity and protection from UV degradation.
Benchmarked against the best-in-class specifications and performance globally, this product from Blend Colours is all set to make a big impact globally as well as capture a huge market locally. Saving significant foreign exchange, Blend Black D441628 provides a huge advantage to the Indian dairy industry of global quality, at local price.
With product specifications validated in compliance with the proven and accepted ASTM standards, and Blend Colours being a well-accepted brand by the global markets, the UHT Masterbatch will help processors with its significant value proposition.
This PE carrier resin comes with 40%±1% carbon content, no filler, excellent dispersion with heat stability at 280 – 300°C; well-suited for preservation of UHT processed milk with an unrefrigerated life of 6 – 9 months.
It is used with LLDPE, tie-layer as the second inner layer. Most suitable for 5-layer / 7-layer products, the barrier properties of this product contributes to a higher shelf-life.
No gel formation, suitability to be used on high-speed filling lines, high barrier properties and filterability, high opacity at less dosage and being recyclable are attributes that are fundamental to this product.
“With global markets to be the early adopters, we have made sure that the testing and certifications are done keeping in mind the requirements of perhaps the most stringent markets,” shares Shailesh Lahoti, Director, Blend Colours Pvt. Ltd., and responsible for the company’s export business.
Successful Trade Fair Premiere: Electric Compact Transporter Sevic V500e Impressed Journalists and Trade Visitors at IAA Transportation
IAA Transportation stand in Hall 13 showed application diversity and
scalability of the Sevic V500e.
High demand for test drives on the course in Hall 11.
“With seven vehicles on site and an exhibition stand of over 200 square metres, we presented what our compact vehicles are capable of at the IAA Transportation. After seven successful days, we are delighted about the wave of interest and inquiries we had. Especially the rightly very critical trade journalists were very interested in our solution for the last mile and we were able to convince them at close range of the high production quality Made in Europe. I am very proud of the entire team, which did a great job here in the planning and execution of this event,” says Sevic Managing Director Alexander Brilis.
For one week, Sevic staff answered questions about the vehicles from interested trade visitors, industry experts and journalists at stand A80 in hall 13, and the Sevic V500e could then be test-driven in hall 11. The charging process was demonstrated on the Plug & Play Campus. There was a choice of two vehicles for the test drive – a pickup and a box body.
The V500e is a compact L7e-CU class electric commercial vehicle, ideal for use in urban areas. The vehicle is built in Europe and consists mainly of parts of European origin. Sevic’s corporate headquarters are located in Bochum, Germany. Thanks to near- and reshoring, Sevic has access to a stable supply chain and an excellent spare parts supply.
During the development of the V500e, which can reach speeds of up to 80 km/h, great importance was attached to a wide range of applications and scalability. The patented cargo swap system, for example, ensures that the transport superstructures can be exchanged quickly. The loading and unloading process of the cargo boxes therefore does not have to be carried out on the stationary vehicle, but can take place where itis easiest for the user. This also ensures that the vehicle does not block narrow roads and additionally reduces downtimes.
In addition, users can choose between different superstructures. Variants include boxes with different options, such as sliding, rolling or folding doors. In addition, various flatbeds are available. All these superstructures are simply exchanged with a standard forklift truck if required. Within a few minutes, users can switch between currently six bodies – for example, from a sales box to a pick-up body. This makes the Sevic V500e suitable for a wide range of applications and thus particularly economical.
The V500e is also flexible in terms of range and purchase price: the standard battery size with 16.5 kilowatt hours (kWh) and up to 150 km range costs 24,900 € net (plus body and transfer); the long-range model with a 33-kWh battery and up to 300 km range (confirmed by TÜV Nord) is available for 29,500 € net plus body and transfer.
