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Is the application of plastic materials to produce electric car doors really effective? In the context of the booming trend of electric cars globally, manufacturers aim to optimize product performance & cost by taking advantage of the characteristics of durable, lightweight and environmentally friendly materials. Therefore, using plastic to produce electric car doors is also considered an effective solution. In this article, EuroPlas will detail the top 5 popular plastics for producing electric car door parts, along with the benefits and even the challenges that we need to overcome. Don't miss the solution from EuroPlas!

1. Potential plastics for electric car doors

Each plastic material will be thoroughly applied to each detail and part of the car to maximize its functionality. EuroPlas will discuss in detail the Top 5 potential plastics suitable for electric car doors.

1.1. PP plastic

PP plastic belongs to the thermoplastic group, which is not only durable but also resistant to heat and chemicals from the surrounding environment. In addition, the weight of PP plastic is quite light, only about 0.85g/cm3 (in the form of plastic particles) and 0.95g/cm3 (in the form of crystals), improving the weight, aerodynamics and fuel economy of the car.

In addition, PP plastic is used to make doors for electric cars because the appropriate cost ranges from 25,000 VND - 33,000 VND/kg. Moreover, PP plastic also proves to have stable insulation and waterproofing capabilities over a long period of time. Therefore, they are not only applied to car doors but also to bumpers, electrical wiring systems, control panels or door panels.

Next, PP plastic is also highly appreciated by manufacturers for its adaptability in the processing process, easy shaping as well as harmony with plastic additives. We can see that PP plastic is one of the perfect choices for plastic materials used to make electric car doors because of its outstanding properties and stable price.

PP plastic is heat and chemical resistant, helping to increase the life of electric car doors.

1.2. PVC plastic

PVC plastic is considered by manufacturers to be one of the materials that consumes the least resources, energy and costs in the final product production process. In terms of density, PVC ranges from 1.23 to 1.46g/cm3, higher than other plastics in the same segment such as: PE, PE. In addition, PVC.S plastic has a fairly large particle size from 20 - 150 micro. Therefore, they are not only durable but also possess an impressive hardness in the range of 5000 to 8500. In particular, the compressive strength of PVC material reaches nearly 10000 psi. These are very suitable factors for the door part to ensure that the electric car is operated in a balanced, stable, durable manner against environmental impacts as well as ensuring safety for the driver.

Meeting the criteria of comprehensive "greening", electric car doors made from PVC can be recycled into many different products without affecting the environment. Besides doors, PVC plastic is also used to manufacture many devices on electric cars, specifically: Windshield systems, control panels, underground wiring systems.

PVC resin not only saves costs but also ensures durability and impact resistance, making electric car doors safer.

Most PVC plastic particles have a water absorption rate of less than 1%, so they are melted to form adhesives for the slots on the body of electric cars or become a coating to increase the life of the car against the impact of the external environment. Due to its superior dimensional stability, ability to provide a high-quality surface, and resistance to fading and discoloration, PVC is often chosen over other materials.

1.3. ABS plastic

ABS plastic is chosen as the material for the production of electric vehicle doors for the following specific reasons:

First, the tensile strength of ABS ranges from 30 to 60 megapascals (MPa), ensuring structural integrity and load-bearing capacity. The door assembly must be strong not only to stabilize the vehicle body but also to ensure driver safety. This high tensile strength makes ABS an excellent choice for applications that require components to withstand mechanical stress and impact.

Second, ABS plastic is capable of absorbing impacts, vibrations, and shocks because the elastic elongation of the material ranges from 1.9 to 2.5 gigapascals (GPa). Although these are not very high parameters, they also contribute to the ability of ABS to resist breakage and fracture under dynamic loads.

Third, standard ABS plastic is resistant to ultraviolet rays and withstands the effects of bad weather. For countries with tropical monsoon climates like Vietnam, high temperatures, sunlight and ultraviolet rays in the summer months are also very normal. However, this factor directly affects the life, surface and quality of the vehicle. Therefore, they are used to make electric car doors or many other parts such as: Car frame, windshield, cabin cover, …

1.4. PET plastic

PET plastic also possesses 4 outstanding characteristics to become plastic for electric car doors, specifically as follows:

First, electric car doors made from PET plastic ensure quality and safety. Because the tensile strength of the material reaches over 40MPa. In addition, their density is 1.38g/cm3 as well as the burning point is higher than 250 degrees Celsius, ensuring that electric car doors are durable and minimizing degradation or deformation.

Second, PET plastic is also adaptable to current popular production methods, they are considered not too difficult to shape and combine with plastic additives to increase core characteristics. Therefore, the production of electric car doors from PET plastic helps businesses save costs while still ensuring product standards.

PET plastic has the ability to withstand impact and stable temperature levels.

Third, in terms of sustainability, PET is a highly recyclable material, which is important in the automotive industry as more and more people focus on sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of manufacturing. Next, manufacturers can freely create and sketch unique ideas for electric car windows thanks to the flexible and easily shaped properties of PET plastic. Furthermore, unlike metal that rusts when scratched, PET panels or plastic car door panels are easier to repair or replace when dented or scratched.

1.5. PC plastic

Like the above plastics, PC plastic is suitable for making electric car doors because of its impact resistance. Impressive parameters show that their tensile strength reaches the mark of 55 - 75MPa, Izod impact strength is in the range of 600 - 850J/m. Therefore, the material can ensure shape retention and minimize cracking, breakage or dents due to strong impacts.

Despite its stable hardness, PC plastic also ensures that the weight is not too heavy for the electric car door parts. The specific gravity of the material ranges from 1.18 - 1.20g/cm3. In addition, the temperature range of the material is from minus 100 degrees Celsius - 130 degrees Celsius. Therefore, PC plastic is not only a material for making doors but also contributes to the manufacture of other parts outside the car frame such as: Window glass, windshield, car frame, headlight lenses.

The flexibility of PC plastic is similar to PET plastic. Therefore, manufacturers can easily shape and mold each part of the car from the PC molten plastic mixture. In addition, the ability to withstand high temperatures is a feature that makes PC plastic ideal for electric car applications besides car doors. As mentioned above, 130 degrees Celsius is the highest temperature that PC plastic can withstand.

PC plastic meets the criteria of durability, flexibility, cost and product life.

That is the reason why PC plastic is still capable of maintaining its shape and properties when subjected to external forces and environmental temperatures. Not only the 5 types of plastic above, EuroPlas has analyzed in detail the Top 10+ plastic materials for the automotive industry that you should know. Refer to that article now!

In the next section, we will let you know the 5 core reasons for the benefits of using plastic for electric car doors.

2. Benefits of using plastic for electric car doors

• Reduce weight - Improve performance: Light weight helps electric cars save fuel and significantly increase battery performance. This is especially important for long journeys or in densely populated cities. If comparing the specific gravity of materials used to produce electric car parts, plastic will be the lightest with about 1150 - 1200kg/cm3. Meanwhile, steel and aluminum materials are 7850g/cm3 and 1700g/cm3 respectively.

• Corrosion resistance: As EuroPlas has analyzed and proven above, most materials have perfect chemical and moisture resistance. This helps electric car owners save a lot of maintenance costs and spare parts are also improved in terms of life and quality. In particular, Vietnam is a country with a rather erratic climate with monsoons, so the surface of products will easily degrade.

• Sustainable and environmentally friendly characteristics: Electric cars were born with the core purpose of "greening" the living environment. Therefore, the materials used to produce them must meet this criterion. Currently, bioplastics have been developing strongly globally and are popular in the automotive industry. In addition, plastics such as PET, PP, PC, ... are all recyclable after a long time of use.

• Stimulate creativity: Electric car models are not only efficient but also impressive in terms of design. Plastic materials with their flexible and easy-to-shape properties allow manufacturers to create unique designs to increase the aesthetics of the product. In particular, electric car doors made of plastic can easily integrate advanced technologies such as: Sensors, scratch resistance, smart screens or safe electrical systems.

• Stable durability - Minimize impact: Car doors are almost always the place where they are easily impacted and directly affect the driver or passenger. Therefore, the materials used to produce them must ensure maximum tensile strength, impact resistance and surface hardness. Although having a lighter specific gravity than aluminum or steel, plastic materials also ensure factors of hardness. In addition to the original durability properties, manufacturers will continue to combine them with plastic additives to thoroughly increase this feature. In addition, the top 10+ types of plastic that EuroPlas has analyzed all have a fairly high MPa index of over 1.5. For example, PC plastic has the ability to withstand strong impacts up to 200 times more than glass.

Plastic materials are applied to the production of diverse parts of electric cars

However, applying plastic to electric car doors is not easy and there are challenges that manufacturers need to overcome. We will continue to discuss in detail in the next section.

3. Challenges of using plastic for electric car doors

Basically, the nature of plastic materials is quite flammable and cannot withstand long-term temperatures compared to steel or aluminum. This is also a weakness when applying them in the automotive industry. In fact, we have to frankly admit that it will be very difficult to completely overcome this weakness, but fire-resistant plastic additives will be a suitable supplementary choice to improve the properties of plastic materials.

The next challenge comes from production costs. The cost of recyclable and quality bioplastics will not be cheap and will require a strict production process to achieve the highest efficiency. Moreover, the production of electric cars also requires a lot of technology and experience of the team. These factors will generate costs and are capable of affecting the production apparatus of the enterprise.

Next, product quality and the reputation of the supplier are also factors that electric car manufacturers need to pay attention to. Currently, there are many businesses supplying and distributing plastic materials on the market. Competition in terms of cost and quality will certainly occur. Therefore, from the manufacturer's perspective, EuroPlas advises customers to evaluate in detail the cost, quality, and scale of suppliers to choose long-term partners. Because plastic is almost the core material appearing in the equipment and parts of electric cars.

Those are 3 challenges and solutions when applying plastic to make electric car doors that EuroPlas sends to customers. And if you are still worried about the supplier issue, please skip to the next part!

4. About EuroPlas

EuroPlas is always proud to be one of the prestigious manufacturers and suppliers of plastic materials in the Vietnamese and international markets. This has been specifically proven through the following impressive figures:

• EuroPlas owns 7 factories in 6 provinces and cities with a scale of tens of hectares, meeting the requirements of about 0.8 million tons of plastic materials / year.

• EuroPlas and its team have more than 15 years of experience in sustainable operations in the field of bioplastic material production. In addition, we also offer a variety of other product lines such as: Color masterbatch, plastic additives, Compound engineering plastics, Filler masterbatch.

• Currently, EuroPlas is honored to become a strategic partner of thousands of factories in more than 95 countries around the world.

Please continue to follow EuroPlas and our blog section to update the latest news & knowledge about materials!

5. Summary

Through the above article, EuroPlas has summarized the Top 5 types of plastic materials that are feasible for making electric car doors. In addition, we also mentioned the benefits and challenges with solutions for applying plastic materials in the automotive industry.