
Antonio Nerone, Dupont, summarised the need for PIN fire safety solutions for electric vehicles (XEV) and the considerable new performance requirement challenges posed by this market. It is estimated that a third of the world car market will be electric or hybrid by 2030. The high voltage and currents required for electrical motorisation, combined with increasing use of plastics in vehicles for design performance and weight gain, imply both considerably increased fire risk (more electrics with risks of arcing, overheating, specific fire risks of batteries …) and more demanding materials requirements. Materials requirements are multiple and daunting: electrical (CTI, dielectric), mechanical, heat and chemical resistance and durability, thermal stability (CLT) and warpage, processing (thin parts), density, aesthetic and visual (e.g. the orange colour, essential to enable identification of high-voltage cables in case of maintenance or accident). PIN FRs (with non-halogenated pigments) enable “low halogen” solutions, important to avoid halide emissions leading to voltaic corrosion. The need for tither fire safety is recognised, but clarification is needed on standard specifications: UL94-V0 (but for what thickness?), EN 62368 “communications” systems (increasingly required by car manufacturers).