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Hirschvogel is pioneering the development of high-tech structural components for electric vehicle battery modules. The company is focused on creating advanced end plates from materials like aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. These components are engineered to improve battery longevity and be produced economically, offering significant advantages to both vehicle manufacturers and owners.
Key Highlights
- Hirschvogel is developing high-quality end plates for EV battery modules using forged aluminum, steel, or stainless steel.
- These components are crucial for managing battery cell expansion and heat, which directly improves the state of health (SOH) and life cycle of the battery.
- End plates must withstand immense forces, potentially up to 30 kilonewtons, as battery cells expand over their lifetime.
- Compared to aluminum, forged steel is more cost-effective and its production generates 75% fewer CO2 emissions.
- The company provides a comprehensive partnership, offering simulation, design, forging, and machining from a single source.
The Crucial Role of Battery End Plates
Electric trucks can require as many as 130 battery modules to operate reliably, often under demanding environmental conditions. Each module contains bundled battery cells, heat sinks, and other components held together by an end plate. The design and material of this end plate are critical to the battery’s overall performance and durability.
The requirements for an end plate are diverse and demanding. A primary function is to prevent battery cells from expanding uncontrollably as they heat up during charging and discharging cycles. They must also support effective thermal conductivity to manage heat. Furthermore, as individual cells naturally expand with age, the end plates must compensate for this growth, placing the material and design under extreme stress. Optimizing the pre-tensioning of these plates in alignment with the specific battery chemistry is key to extending the module’s service life.
Innovations in Materials and Manufacturing
Hirschvogel is advancing beyond conventional end plates made from plastics or cast aluminum. The company is focused on high-tech solutions using forged aluminum, steel, or stainless steel.
- Forged Aluminum: This material offers higher strength and is non-porous compared to cast aluminum, which improves the battery module’s impermeability.
- Forged Steel and Stainless Steel: These materials provide even greater tensile strength, yield strength, and heat resistance. Steel presents a more cost-effective option and boasts a significantly better CO2 balance than aluminum. The primary challenge lies in engineering these steel components to be lightweight.
Hirschvogel’s objective is to deliver end plates that provide customers with the ideal balance of product properties, costs, CO2 footprint, and weight. By offering simulation, design, and a wide range of forging and machining technologies, the company serves as a comprehensive development partner in the automotive industry.
About the Hirschvogel Group
The Hirschvogel Group stands as one of the largest global manufacturers of forged and machined steel and aluminum components. As an independent, family-owned business, it operates eight production facilities across three continents. The company is a key development partner for the automotive industry, creating innovative solutions for passenger cars and commercial vehicles powered by combustion engines, batteries, or hydrogen. Its product portfolio includes powertrain, transmission, and chassis components. In 2024, the group’s approximately 6,300 employees generated total sales of 1.4 billion euros.
For more information, visit www.hirschvogel.com.
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