EV Battery Casings Guide

Stainless steel makes a powerful case for electric vehicle battery modules

The casings that house the lithium-ion battery modules used in electric vehicles (EVs) must provide a vital combination of heat resistance, sustainability, processability and high strength. Outokumpu stainless steels are taking battery module construction to the next level by offering new possibilities for lightweight design at a cost-efficient and stable price. Download our battery casings guide to learn more about the unique benefits.

Introduction

The manufacture of EV battery systems is based on four essential components: Battery electrodes are used to manufacture individual cells; cells are assembled into battery modules; battery modules are incorporated into battery packs; battery packs are built into battery systems. These provide crash protection, cooling, management and the connectivity to the vehicle.

Battery system

Figure 1. An EV battery system comprises four main elements.

One of the main challenges for manufacturers of battery modules is the current lack of standardization for EV battery systems within the automotive industry. Not only does each manufacturer require a different design to suit their vehicle platform, the battery modules may have to accommodate three different types of cell: pouch, cylindrical or prismatic.

This means that battery module manufacturers need materials that combine heat resistance, sustainability, processability and high strength with the flexibility to adapt readily to suit changing design needs. While aluminum or low-alloy steel were the original choices, there is a growing market recognition that stainless steels offer major advantages in this application, including:

  • Superior heat resistance in case of fire up to 1250 °C
  • Ultra-high strength for improved crash safety
  • Ultra-high strength for lightweight engineering and design
  • Easy processability enabling complex forms
  • Optimized total cost of ownership (TCO)
  • Completely non-magnetic grades helping to meet strict EMC standards

Outokumpu’s automotive experts have written a guide that provides the designers of battery systems detailed information about the benefits of stainless steels for battery casings. You can download the guide from the link below.

battery casings guide

Stainless steel makes a powerful case for EV battery modules

Outokumpu automotive experts has compiled a guide for automotive and battery system designers keen to explore the possibilities of using high performance stainless steels for EV battery casings.
Download the guide