Driving the future of EV battery assembly with adhesives

Sponsored by DuPont.

The automotive industry is rapidly evolving, and electric vehicles are at the forefront of this transformation. Continued EV adoption hinges on several key factors: reducing costs, building a robust charging infrastructure, and designing efficient, durable battery packs with longer-range and fast-charging capabilities. As automakers strive to match the cost and efficiency of internal combustion engine vehicles, the race to develop high-performing EV battery packs is on—and adhesives are emerging as a critical component in their design and assembly. 

Design Trends Shaping EV Battery Assembly

EV battery pack design is rapidly evolving as automakers and researchers work to boost performance, cut costs, and enhance sustainability. The focus is on increasing energy density and lowering cost per kWh, leading to simpler designs that remove parts, weight, and bulk. However, these changes can affect structural support and complicate battery replacement, disassembly, and recycling. Advanced adhesive technology can help develop solutions for these challenges and usher EV battery pack designs into the future. 

Here’s a closer look at the evolution of EV battery technology: 

• Cell-Module-Pack (CMP) designs package individual cells together inside modules, a method that has dominated the market due to its durability, ease of assembly, and serviceability. Since CMP requires more parts that increase cost and weight, automakers now seek designs with fewer parts to improve energy efficiency and simplify production.
• Cell-to-Pack (CTP) designs integrate battery cells directly into the battery pack, eliminating modules to enhance energy density and simplify manufacturing. This emerging option is gaining traction for its cost-lowering potential. However, it demands advanced thermal management and durability, and a complex assembly process leaves little room for error.
• Cell-to-Body (CTB) designs incorporate the battery cells directly into the vehicle’s body, optimizing space, reducing weight, and improving structural integrity. Early adopters are exploring CTB for its cost efficiency and reduced part count. Despite its advantages, concerns about durability, recyclability, and safety persist. 

The Benefits of Adhesives in Sustainable Battery Assembly

As EV adoption grows, the need for sustainable, efficient battery assembly becomes more pressing. Adhesives offer a range of benefits that make them vital to EV battery production.

• Enhanced Performance—Adhesives enhance battery performance by optimizing the thermal interface between battery cells and cooling systems, leading to extended range and faster charging.

• Flexible Battery Design—Adhesives enable greater design flexibility by bonding a variety of materials, including composites, functional films, and metals. This non-destructive joining technique preserves the integrity of substrates, allowing for innovative battery designs that were previously unattainable.

• Increased Energy Management for Safety—Safety is paramount in EV battery design, and adhesives contribute to crash energy management. They provide continuous bond lines that enhance structural integrity of the battery pack and enable wheel-to-wheel battery designs that perform under crash conditions. 

• Added structural capability – with the growing adoption of cell-to-body designs, adhesives can provide the bonding strength necessary to replace modular walls and support structures

• Optimized thermal management – Thermal management is crucial for battery safety. Thermally conductive adhesives and interface materials support heat dissipation and prevent overheating during battery charging and operation. Long-term, this helps ensure consistent performance and extend the battery lifespan.

• Support for Zero-Emission EVs—Adhesives contribute to sustainability by enabling lightweight vehicle designs and reducing panel thickness in body structures. This can result in significant CO₂ savings—approximately 133 grams per driven kilometer.

• Improved Manufacturing Processes—Adhesives streamline manufacturing processes, offering fast, low-cost joining and curing. They eliminate the need for surface pretreatment and can improve process speed, resulting in significant cost savings.

Emerging methods in battery assembly also favor adhesives. Injectable adhesives are easily dispensed for modular battery frames. Debonding-on-demand solutions facilitate easy repair and recycling. Additionally, certain adhesives cure on demand—ideal for flexible, lean manufacturing processes.

DuPont’s Solutions for Advanced EV Battery Assembly

DuPont, with its deep expertise in EV battery assembly, is well-positioned to support the industry shift toward more advanced battery designs. Our wide range of adhesive solutions are designed to meet specific challenges, offering enhanced performance, safety, and sustainability.

• BETAFORCE™ Elastic Structural Adhesive: A 2024 R&D 100 award winner, BETAFORCE™ is designed for broad EV battery assembly applications, excelling in pouch cell bonding. It bonds aluminum laminated film substrates without primers or pretreatment—delivering durability, crashworthiness, and sustainability benefits. With up to 30% renewable and bio-based materials and room-temperature curing, it eliminates the need for high-temperature ovens, enhancing its environmental credentials.
• BETAMATE™ Structural Adhesive: BETAMATE™ ensures battery pack integrity with stiffness, durability, and crash performance. It bonds and seals battery pack enclosures and cooling plates, offering strong adhesion to aluminum alloys and composites. It also can be used in the growing area of CTB designs. BETAMATE™ also improves safety, corrosion resistance, and manufacturing efficiency.
• BETATECH™ TIM (Thermal Interface Material): This innovative solution is diisocyanate- and silicone-free and efficiently manages and controls heat from high-density batteries during charging and operation, maintaining thermal conductivity across a wide temperature range. BETATECH™ is easy to dispense and join, making it ideal for high-volume assembly.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the core of DuPont’s mission. Our adhesive solutions are designed to address pressing challenges while enhancing EV performance and safety.

• BETAMATE™ Broad Bake Adhesives: These adhesives allow for a reduction in e-coat oven temperature by 25°C, leading to significant energy savings. They also enable shorter oven cycle times, further improving manufacturing efficiency.
• BETAFORCE™ 2800 TC: This adhesive not only keeps EV batteries cool during fast charging to extend battery life, but also reduces raw materials needed by streamlining the number of components. 
• BETATECH™ TIM: These adhesives offer a low pullout force to allow for easy removal of battery modules to enable repair, reuse, and recycling.

These product families are also available in room temperature cure formulations. Oven-free bonding means less energy use and one less step in the assembly process.

Collaboration and Innovation: DuPont’s Centers of Excellence

At DuPont, we believe in the power of collaboration. Our Centers of Excellence and advanced engineering capabilities around the globe are dedicated to working closely with customers to drive innovation in EV battery assembly.

• Fast-Paced Development: We have the formulation and testing expertise to validate new concepts and refine existing ones.
• Comprehensive testing: To verify performance, longevity, and safety of the planned configuration, we expand small sample tests to module-scale testing at the battery system level.
• Global Collaboration: Our teams collaborate across regions, functions, and businesses to deliver cutting-edge solutions tailored to the unique needs of our customers.

Ready to Collaborate?

DuPont is more than just a supplier: we’re a partner in innovation. If you’re looking to advance your EV battery assembly process, we invite you to dEVelop with DuPont to explore how our adhesive solutions can help you achieve your goals.