Continental Structural Plastics named PACE pilot finalist for multi-material battery enclosure concept

On April 19 Continental Structural Plastics (CSP, Auburn Hills, Mich., U.S.), a Teijin Group (Tokoyo, Japan) company, announced it has been named a finalist in the 2021 Automotive News PACE pilot award for its innovative, multi-material battery enclosure. This award recognizes innovations from suppliers that have reached a working pilot demonstration phase but are not yet commercialized with a contracted sale.

CSP and Teijin’s full-sized, multi-material battery enclosure features a one-piece composite cover and one-piece composite tray with aluminum and steel reinforcements. By molding the cover and the tray each as one piece, CSP has created a system which is purportedly easier to seal and can be certified prior to shipment. The company has two patents pending for its innovative box assembly and fastening systems.

The company also developed a mounting frame using a structural foam for energy absorption. This enables a reduced frame thickness and weight, while improving crash performance. CSP covers the multi-material battery enclosure’s additional benefits, including its reportedly 15% lighter weight than steel battery boxes here.

For 26 years, the Automotive News PACE Awards have heralded some of the industry’s best commercialized game-changing innovations. The increased tempo of change has been driving vast innovation in processes, products and systems that are through the pilot phase, but have not been brought to market. The PACEpilot Award recognizes these pre-production innovations. Winners will be announced on September 30, 2021.