All-Electric Road Trip

on their journey Matthias and Axel discuss the challenges of today and tomorrow that face the automotive industry and how Trelleborg Sealing Solutions is helping its customers meet those challenges.

As Global Segment Director Automotive, Trucks & Transportation, Axel Weimann knows his way around vehicles past, present and future. He and his team have now taken on
eMobility, to investigate and innovate materials and processes for this exciting technology.

Axel says: “The OEMs target the international markets. They care about zero-emission cars and the only way to achieve this is to produce a better electric vehicle.”

Matthias Engler, Content & Social Media Specialist, asks about electric vehicles: “Where do sealing solutions come into play?”

Axel explains: “It’s in pumps, it’s in connectors, and also in valves used for thermal management. Valves have a critical and very interesting role. They are responsible for
generating the coolant flow to the inverter, the battery and the electric engine, keeping the temperatures of these different components within a specified range, in which the car runs most efficiently.

“Our valve sealing component is very complex. It is a multicomponent part, produced out of a mix of different materials, which are compatible with the different media used
in cooling applications.”

Any idea how you can charge your mobile phone safely, quickly and cable-free in your car?

Axel reveals the secret is a specially designed liquid silicone rubber (LSR) mat. “The properties of LSR, combined with our tooling expertise, enable us to design and manufacture intricate, customized parts. These mats allow efficient heat dissipation during inductive charging. Without this, the charging speed would need to be reduced. The LSR material also keeps your phone safely in place, so it does not slip when braking or during sharp curves or turns.”