Technology Trends for Tomorrow's Electric Car.

While electric car projects date back 100 years, electric car markets as we know them today have been growing since circa 2011. In 20 years, electric cars likely will generate 76% of all e-transport revenues. Due to their scale, car markets create the largest opportunities for players in the electric vehicle supply chain, from advanced materials through to battery packs, power electronics, and electric motors. Moreover, they drive the rapid pace of innovation that enables electrification in other transport sectors, whether in technology, regulation, or business models.

Here are five key trends:

Advanced li-ion battery cells and packs. Li-ion batteries based on graphite anodes and layered oxide cathodes have come to dominate large parts of the electric vehicle markets. However, as they start to reach their performance limits and as environmental and supply risks are highlighted, improvements and alternatives to Li-ion batteries become increasingly important.

Advanced Li-ion refers to silicon and Li-metal anodes, solid-electrolytes, high-Ni cathodes, as well as various cell design factors. Given the importance of the electric vehicle market, specifically battery electric cars, in determining battery demand, Li-ion is forecast to maintain its dominant position. However, gradual improvements to cathodes, anodes, cell design, and energy density are key.

Innovation is occurring at the pack level as well. Several different materials are required to assemble a battery pack, including thermal interface materials, adhesives, gaskets, impregnation, potting, fillers, and more. A general trend towards larger cell form factors and nonmodular cell-to-pack battery designs is underway, which will reduce the number of connections, busbars, and cables between cells and modules.

Power electronics. In automotive power electronics (inverters, onboard chargers, DC-DC converters), key advancements are being made to improve powertrain efficiency, allowing for either battery pack capacity reduction or improved range. One of the key avenues to achieving greater efficiencies is the transition to silicon carbide MOSFETs and high voltage vehicle platforms at or above 800V. Indeed, Renault, BYD, GM, Hyundai, and others have announced 800V vehicle platforms that will adopt silicon carbide MOSFETs in their power electronics through 2025.

The transition is presenting fresh challenges for power module package materials, as higher switching frequencies, increased power...