On April 12, Lanxess announced that it will be showcasing numerous concepts and applications for climate-friendly drive technologies at this year’s International Vienna Motor Symposium (April 27–29). One event highlight from Lanxess will be the large plastic enclosure for high-voltage batteries in electric vehicles. Developed in collaboration with Kautex Textron as a near-series technology demonstrator, it is manufactured in a single-stage compression molding process with a compound based on the polyamide 6 compound Durethan B24CMH2.0.
Tepex is also ideal for constructing lightweight and load-bearing carriers for vehicle batteries. With Durethan BC550Z DUSXBL, LANXESS can offer a polyamide 6 compound that, compared to other plastics, acts as an excellent barrier against hydrogen and offers outstanding low-temperature toughness. Thanks to the high melt stiffness of the compound, even large truck tank liners with lengths of two meters or more can be blow-molded.
One example of how LANXESS has successfully substituted polyamide 66 with polyamide 6 can be seen in the cylinder head covers for a passenger car made by a Chinese automotive manufacturer. The switchover was implemented during ongoing series production.

Lanxess press release

On November, 12, 2018, some local media reported that Huzhou Anda Auto Parts Co., Ltd. is now constructing a new plant for the development and intelligent manufacturing of the parts for new energy vehicles with an annual output of 1 million sets. The company plans to invest CNY 208 million in the project and the new plant will supply die-cast parts to Audi. The company is now conducting a trial operation at an attached intelligent three-dimensional warehouse, and will start the pilot operation in late November. In June 2017, the company was certified by Audi as a supplier qualified for developing vital car components under the EVO4 program. It will supply oil pans, cylinder head covers and other die-cast products to Audi. The mass production launch is scheduled in 2019, and the company is expecting an order for 0.8 million sets of the products annually. (From media reports on November 12-14, 2018)

On September 19, the AKWEL Group inaugurated on September 19th its third factory in China, in Wuhan.
The construction of a third unit in China (the 43rd for the group) is a response to AKWEL’s strong desire to offer its car and truck manufacturers customers solutions that are as close as possible to their production and delivery sites.
In the coming months, the Wuhan plant will deliver cylinder head covers, air intake hoses and door handles for the latest DPCA (Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroën Automobile) and CHANGAN-FORD vehicles. It currently employs more than 70 people.

AKWEL Group press release