DuPont Mobility & Materials has revealed the opening of three global Centers of Excellence that will facilitate the accelerated development and testing of novel applications for automotive electrification.
By devoting specific resources to vehicle electrification, the Centers of Excellence (COEs) will enable a speedy application development to assist with validating novel concepts in reduced timeframes. They will also help the industry experts at DuPont to accelerate the assessment of dependability, performance, cost-effectiveness, and time-to-market. On top of this, it will centre on drivers for consumer adoption, including quicker charging times and enhanced range and safety.
“More than two-thirds of the global vehicle market is expected to be electrified to some degree by 2030. OEMs and suppliers must rise to the challenge to provide more sustainable and advanced vehicle solutions that don’t compromise on performance or safety,” explained Kara Grasso, global strategy director, advanced mobility, DuPont Mobility & Materials. “DuPont has the expertise, technical capabilities and range of solutions to help our customers meet their toughest challenges, and our new COEs are perfect for inspiration and collaboration.”
Focus on key areas of development
The Centers of Excellence will centre around three significant areas that are vital to pushing electric vehicle (EV) technology forward. These three areas are battery safety, e-powertrain efficiency, and thermal management. Every COE will entail committed personnel and equipment in order to facilitate the development of new technologies.
Battery safety will be focused on in Geneva, Switzerland and Shanghai, China. The objectives for this key area is assisting in the reaching of safety requirements, whilst also enhancing energy density, fast-charging endurance, and cost-effectiveness.
Meanwhile, the vital area of thermal management will be addressed in Geneva and Freienbach, Switzerland. The targets for this are enhancing fast-charging speed, cold-weather performance, and battery consistency, all at a controlled cost.
Finally, is E-powertrain efficiency, which will also be conducted in Geneva. The aims for this necessary area of development are improving power electronics, e-motor efficacy, and energy and packing density whilst preserving consistency at the highest levels.
In order to meet the expanding needs in all areas, there is global interaction between the Centers of Excellence and other DuPont technical and R&D centres worldwide, such as the new Innovation Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
