At tesa, we love innovation – especially when we’re engineering solutions for electric vehicle (EV) powertrains. Innovation defines every customer engagement and drives us forward as a company. But talk is cheap – so why take our word for it when we can simply show you? That’s why, in this article, we’ll present key highlights from a recent client project.
Keeping up with an evolving market
The automotive industry is in a constant state of flux and evolution. While there’s almost always a drive to be faster and more powerful, over the last 5 years or so, brands have been under increasing pressure to develop their range of electric vehicles. This pressure has come from both consumers, who are increasingly sensitive to the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions, as well as government legislation, which sets sustainability requirements on businesses operating in their markets.
In 2016, a multinational automotive Original Equipment Manufacturer kicked off its electrification strategy. This strategy included a range of development targets for EV and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to bring to the European market for the 2019/2020. This strategy was ambitious in scale and would require large-scale collaboration across the supply chain to ensure each product was optimised for safety, performance, and international distribution.
Putting together the right team
To bring their strategy to life, our client (the OEM) needed to select a range of Original Equipment Supplies (OESs) for all the parts and components needed for all the vehicles. They understood that, to succeed in today’s market, they couldn’t settle for just any OES. They needed a network of reliable global partners that not only deliver high-quality components, but also provide consulting, collaboration, and co-creation.
This is where tesa entered the picture. With a demonstrated history of innovation and co-creation, along with an IATF 16949 certification and a global production network to support timely delivery, we were a natural fit. Specifically, the tesa team was brought as a global partner for adhesive solutions for the EV powertrains.
Overcoming challenges, together
With the team assembled, we got to work overcoming one of the primary challenges: designing reliable and safe batteries for the new EV product line. We focused our efforts on developing custom adhesive insulation to wrap prismatic battery cells. As this specialised adhesive tape would connect various parts to the EV battery’s busbar, it needed to fulfil a certain set of criteria to be functional in the field and at scale. For example, it needed robust insulation properties, anti-repulsion properties, and to be a specified colour and thickness.
In close collaboration with other stakeholders, the tesa team achieved their goal with excellence – demonstrating great speed and flexibility. Our Agile approach to co-creation positioned us for success, as changes happened every day and we ended up having a total of 10 production time trials.
So what was the end result? Stable OES production, with 300 million battery cells produced annually in Europe. With our ongoing collaboration and support, the OEM achieved their target.
How tesa can help you co-create better EV solutions
When you work with tesa as a co-creation partner, we’ll be by your side throughout the process and beyond: with a global support network of R&D partners and customer representatives.
Our co-development and co-creation processes are driven by customer collaboration and empowered by Agile development tools and methodology. Our adhesive expertise is widely applicable to a range of industries and use cases, including EV powertrain applications.
To learn more about co-creation and how it is coming to define the future of the EV supply chain, check out our new guide, Driving Electric Vehicle Innovation: How To Unlock The Next Chapter With Co-Creation. To download a copy, click the link below.
