BLOG | 8 April 2025
Bamberger Amco Polymers Partnering with BASF: Driving Innovation in Electric Vehicles
The Role of Engineered Thermoplastics in EVs
Developing hybrid and fully electric vehicles requires significant use of engineered thermoplastics (ETPs). These materials are crucial for various internal combustion engine (ICE) and EV battery system components. Bamberger Amco Polymers offers an extensive portfolio of BASF's engineering thermoplastics, ideally suited to meet the evolving demands of the EV market. This partnership ensures that our customers have access to materials that can handle the specific needs of electric vehicle production.
Advantages of BASF Resins in Automotive Applications
Plastics have long played an essential role in the automotive industry by replacing metal parts, making vehicles more efficient. BASF’s Ultramid® engineering plastics, distributed by Bamberger Amco Polymers, are renowned for their high quality and safety features. Thanks to their high thermal stability, dynamic strength, impact resistance, and long-term performance, these materials are used in numerous established applications within the powertrain, such as air intake manifolds, oil pans, and components for thermal management. By leveraging these materials, we help automotive manufacturers create lighter, more efficient vehicles.
Meeting the Challenges of EV Production
One of the significant drawbacks in electric vehicle architecture is the mass of the battery system itself, which can significantly increase the weight of the vehicle. BASF’s engineering plastics, supported by Bamberger Amco Polymers, provide a solution by offering superior weight reduction capabilities.
Additionally, these materials possess excellent electrical properties, mechanical strength, and high heat resistance, ensuring reliability wherever electric power flows. Bamberger Amco’s technical support team assists manufacturers in selecting the right materials to overcome these challenges and provide optimal performance and efficiency.
Bamberger Amco’s Comprehensive Plastics Portfolio
Our extensive plastics portfolio is designed to meet specific customer requirements, with continual development of new products in close collaboration with demanding clients. Key components within the electrified powertrain that benefit from our catalog of engineering plastics include battery module housings, end plates, cell holders, busbar holders, cell contacting systems, high-voltage housings, battery ECU housings, electric motor components, high-voltage connectors, charging nozzles, and components of fuel cells and hydrogen tank in liners.
The BASF resins we offer provide the necessary durability and performance for these essential EV components:
Technical Advantages of BASF Resins
New drive concepts and advances in the electrification of vehicles, coupled with trends such as autonomous driving, offer substantial application potential for engineering plastics.
BASF materials provide several advantages for automotive powertrains, including:
- Lightweight and recycling characteristics: Critical for improving vehicle efficiency and sustainability.
- Good thermal and chemical stability: Essential for components exposed to varying temperatures and chemicals.
- Static and dynamic strength: Ensures components can withstand mechanical stresses.
- Impact resistance: Important for the safety and durability of vehicle parts.
- Long-term performance: Ensures the reliability and longevity of components.
BASF's Sustainable Solutions
Leading the charge in sustainability, BASF offers an advanced range of bio-circular, mass-balanced grades, including Ultramid® (Nylon 6 and 66), Ultraform® (POM) and Ultradur® (PBT). These are complemented by the Ccycled® brand Nylon 6, produced through advanced molecular recycling.
These advanced materials underscore BASF's commitment to delivering sustainable, high-performance solutions that meet the evolving needs of industries worldwide.
Supporting the Future of Electric Vehicles
The demand for BASF resins in the EV market is continuously evolving, driven by the need for sustainable and efficient automotive solutions. Bamberger Amco is committed to supporting this evolution by assisting in upfront material selection, designing for manufacturability with ETPs in mind, and providing local commercial and technical support. As the industry moves towards greater electrification, BASF resins will continue to play a pivotal role in driving innovation and performance in EVs.
