The issues driving the world are the issues driving ElringKlinger: the advancement of mobility and sustainability in all its dimensions. Conservation of resources, climate change mitigation, safety, convenience, and efficiency are at the top of the agenda. We were quick off the mark in charting the right course for the future and are committed to evolving every aspect of our core competencies as we move forward. This also applies in particular to those business units whose origins lie in the field of conventional mobility. As a system partner to our customers, we always look at the big picture and are keen to play an active role in the process of transformation within the automotive industry – and beyond.
PIONEERING SOLUTIONS
ElringKlinger’s activities relating to battery technology, fuel cells, and electric drive units (EDU) are consolidated within the E-Mobility unit. At the same time, the business units that had their origins in the field of conventional mobility, i.e., diesel and petrol vehicles, are also well equipped for current and future challenges: Metal Sealing Systems & Drivetrain Components, Metal Forming & Assembly Technology, and Lightweighting/Elastomer Technology.
Bridging distances, pursuing an active social and cultural life, transporting goods, advancing the economy and prosperity, broadening horizons – activities that would be inconceivable without mobility. At the same time, using resources in such a way that current and future generations are not compromised with regard to their opportunities and quality of life is considered equally important. Economic efficiency, social justice, ethical principles, and ecological viability – these are the maxims guiding sustainable endeavors. At ElringKlinger, the issue of mobility and sustainability permeates all corporate and business units. At company level, this includes environmentally friendly production processes, a certified environmental management system, the objective of achieving global carbon neutrality in net terms by 2030, strong employee retention, and social commitment. At product level, sustainable mobility is firmly enshrined in the activities of all business units, as our portfolio contributes to the reduction of pollutant emissions and the ongoing refinement of environmentally friendly mobility concepts.
The carrier structure of our lightweight cockpit cross-car beam accommodates the instrument panel, steering column, heating and ventilation modules, airbags, and other components and connects them securely to the body.
ElringKlinger-engineered ElroForm™ battery covers are safe, lightweight, durable, and economical.
Pressure equalizing unit with a PTFE diaphragm produced by ElringKlinger Kunststofftechnik: simple press-fitting and reliable venting are achieved with customer-specific design solutions.
Our MetaloBond™ rotor/stator laminated stacks are renowned, among other things, for their high inter-layer sealing performance. This provides the basis for customer concepts centered around directly cooled electric motors.
Expertise meets business fields of the future
ElringKlinger supplies key components and systems tailored to present and future forms of mobility. Our aspiration: instead of being content with the standards we have achieved, we are committed to leveraging our unique expertise for the purpose of accelerating electromobility and further optimizing combustion-engine vehicles during the phase of transition. Our aim remains to help reduce or avoid fuel consumption and emissions.
In addition, numerous products developed by ElringKlinger can be used in areas of application in which the type of drive system is of no relevance, such as PMH structural components (polymer-metal hybrids), crash elements, brake covers, underbody shields, or dynamic drive components such as rotor/stator laminated stacks, or planetary and disk carriers. When it comes to our customers, we are trailblazers and trusted partners from the initial idea to the finished product. Our core competencies in high-precision metalworking (punching, embossing, forming, and coating), plastic injection molding, processing of high-performance plastics, and toolmaking form the basis for these activities. This is complemented by our unique materials expertise and our ability to reliably combine a large number of different components within a single assembly.
Transformation of the “traditional” business units
We would now like to take a closer look at how the change toward electromobility and new drive concepts is unfolding or has unfolded. The Metal Sealing Systems & Drivetrain Components unit (formerly Cylinder-head and Specialty Gaskets) offers customized sealing systems for a wide range of applications. Both materials and design are tailored perfectly to the specific requirements; additional functions can also be integrated. The advantages: fewer individual parts, less assembly work, weight reduction, cost streamlining, and optimized functionality. We are also able to unleash these strengths when it comes to e-mobility applications. For example, our MetaloSeal™ metal-bead gaskets ensure optimum EMC shielding in battery systems or electric drive units (EMC: electromagnetic compatibility). TopSeal™ housing parts combine cover and seal in a single functional unit and are used, for instance, as battery module covers or as service covers in electric drive units and fuel cell stack modules. Electric drive units feature various dynamic drive components from ElringKlinger, such as MetaloBond™ rotor/stator laminated stacks, in which full-surface bonding of the layers ensures an optimum sealing function; this provides the basis for directly cooled e-machine concepts. Among the dynamic components are also our brake disk carriers for high-performance brakes, which offer high functional reliability, low weight, and optimum mechanical stability. They can be used in both combustion and electric vehicles, i.e., regardless of the type of drive.
Within the Metal Forming & Assembly Technology unit (previously Shielding Technology), our ElroShield™ thermal and acoustic shielding systems are still in demand. Having said that, more than 50% of the total nomination volume in the 2023 financial year was actually attributable to components for battery-powered electric vehicles. The portfolio includes ElroForm™ product solutions that are used wherever crash safety, lightweight construction, cost-effectiveness, and thermal, acoustic, and EMC shielding are of particular importance. Among these, in particular, are xEV applications, such as battery housings or assemblies, as well as components for the EDU and also in the body-in-white environment (“body in white” refers to the bodyshell before painting, etc.). In developing the ElroForm™ Ultra product group, ElringKlinger has succeeded in creating lightweight metal components with significantly improved forming properties. The weight of these components is comparable to that of lightweight aluminum components. Until now, however, the design could only have been achieved with the help of steel, a much heavier material. Our portfolio also includes ElroShield™ EV battery shields, which make an important contribution to occupant safety in the event of a thermal runaway of the battery, for example. Here, too, flexibility makes all the difference: they can be integrated into customer products not only at system level but also at module and cell level.
For us, system excellence is all about being a pioneer, creating greater scope for action, and achieving goals faster. We contribute to sustainable mobility by providing high-performance product solutions.
EKPO’s NM12 Twin PEMFC stack module was developed for applications with high power requirements (>150 kW), especially for heavy-duty transportation. Other possible areas of application include the rail and marine sectors.
Under the hofer powertrain products brand, we offer a range of electric drive units for the high-performance niche market, such as the High Compact Torque Vectoring EDU. These systems deliver outputs of up to 350 kW in single-system applications and up to 600 kW in torque vectoring systems. Optional extras include multispeed transmission and disconnect clutches, direct cooling, booster function, and many other features.
Lightweight construction, one of the key technologies within the automotive industry, has a long tradition at ElringKlinger: the foundations for today’s Lightweighting/Elastomer Technology unit were laid back in the late 1990s. At the time, our very first plastic cam cover modules went into series production. Today, we supply customized structural components made of solid plastic, in combination with metal or in composite-hybrid design for a wide range of primarily drive-independent applications throughout the vehicle, such as cockpit cross-car beams, front-end carriers, door modules, underbody shields, or engine mounts. In this context, the focus is always on weight reduction, functional integration and optimization, performance, robustness, and efficiency. We also apply our expertise specifically to applications in the field of battery systems, fuel cells, and drives. One of the highlights is our laser-welded plastic housing for the ElringKlinger performance battery module. As part of this solution, which was developed in-house, the innovative immersion cooling concept enables a high electrical output – without any reduction in power while driving or charging. Other product solutions in the field of e-mobility include ElroSafe™ underbody shielding. In addition to providing excellent protection for the battery, which includes road-related impact protection, this system boasts high thermal resistance with regard to thermal propagation and can also be equipped with EMC shielding. Thus, ElroSafe™ can be deployed directly as part of the battery housing – performing all the necessary functions. Another key benefit: ElroSafe™ is fully recyclable. The business unit’s portfolio also includes elastomer and metal-elastomer sealing systems adapted for use in numerous applications.
Our subsidiary ElringKlinger Kunststofftechnik GmbH (EKT) specializes in gaskets, engineered parts, assemblies, and modules made of high-performance plastics, which are used in a wide range of industries, including medical technology, mechanical engineering, chemical and process technology, and the automotive industry. EKT is also taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the technological transition toward electromobility. For example, in the form of sealing components for electric drive systems exposed to high pressures and speeds, extreme temperatures and dry running, or insufficient lubrication, such as ElroSeal™ E rotary shaft seals. Valve seals for the cooling and air conditioning circuit are acknowledged for their superb performance in the field of thermal management.
E-Mobility unit continues to pick up speed
The battery and the fuel cell are key technologies when it comes to the electrification of the powertrain. ElringKlinger can draw on extensive experience in both areas – in terms of development, industrialization, and series production. Together with hofer powertrain, we are also an acknowledged specialist for electric drive units.
As far as battery technology is concerned, we operate as a full-service supplier of battery components for the series- and mass-production market as well as modules and systems for niche markets with special requirements, e.g., the sports car segment, and for stationary applications. Building on our experience from numerous series-production projects, we have already established ourselves as one of the leading suppliers of cell contacting systems in Europe. For detailed information on our activities in the battery sector, please refer to page Components of the future. Our joint-venture subsidiary EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies is a premier full-service supplier of fuel cell stack modules and components. In addition to supplying standardized products, we are capable of developing customized solutions for every level of integration. With a choice of three stack platforms (NM12 Twin, NM12 Single, NM5-EVO), we cover the output range from 16 to 205 kWel. We are also acknowledged for the highest power density within the market. For further information on EKPO, please refer to page Green steam ahead. Under the hofer powertrain products brand (hpp), ElringKlinger and hofer powertrain are committed to engineering highly efficient electric drive units on the basis of a joint venture. Our customers benefit from tailor-made solutions: niche or series application, complete system or the integration of individual modules, standard system or customized configuration. Alongside e-motor, transmission, and power electronics, the portfolio also includes control software, thermal management, and safety concepts.
Our customers benefit from ElringKlinger’s combined materials, engineering, and manufacturing expertise. Thinking ahead, developing solutions, breaking new ground, taking responsibility. It is these qualities that set us apart – with a pedigree spanning more than 140 years.
Sustainability has many dimensions
Mobility is by no means limited to cars and trucks; ElringKlinger products also excel in other fields of sustainable mobility thanks to their performance, top quality, and efficiency. EKPO’s PEMFC stack modules can be used in the off-highway, rail, and marine sectors; the most recent contracts cover the supply of NM12 single stacks for a cruise ship. The aviation sector also offers promising potential when it comes to future applications. As part of our strategic partnership with the Airbus Group, fuel cell technology is to be further refined and validated in this specific area.
Our battery modules and components can also be deployed in a wide range of applications, e.g., in industrial trucks, municipal vehicles, light electric vehicles, e-bikes, and cargo bikes. Speaking of e-bikes: they require safe, reliable, and easy-to-install seals, such as the customized MetaloSeal™ housing gaskets developed by ElringKlinger for e-bike drives.
As a guiding principle, our commitment to sustainability is also reflected in applications for power generation and storage as well as various other industrial solutions. Our battery and fuel cell technology, for example, can be used in stationary energy storage and generation systems as well as in mobile and stationary charging stations. Another point of interest: our subsidiary ElringKlinger Kunststofftechnik offers a highly efficient, environmentally friendly water heat exchanger, ThermoGenius™ Water, for heating or cooling individual buildings and entire blocks of buildings located close to water. The innovative solar panels developed by US start-up Solar Roadways are all about environmentally friendly power generation on roads and sidewalks as well as at airports and the like; ElringKlinger was commissioned to assemble the panels.
Last but not least, we are embracing the opportunities presented by the rapidly growing electrolysis market, as the production of green hydrogen is considered a key element of the “energy transition.” EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies has transferred its many years of experience in the fuel cell sector to electrolyzers and is acknowledged for its robust, durable, and cost-effective metallic bipolar plates. Our Lightweighting/Elastomer Technology unit ensures reliable, best-in-class sealing with sealing systems that can also be applied to bipolar plates, for example. Good to know: the elastomer materials used are developed by ElringKlinger itself. ElringKlinger Kunststofftechnik GmbH is a perfect partner when it comes to scaling electrolyzers; its portfolio includes, for example, seals with a diameter of up to three meters as well as hoses and pipes made of fluoropolymers.
In the face of challenges, we are spurred on to deliver our ultimate performance. Working in close collaboration with our customers, we are committed to playing our part in the transformation of the automotive industry and the energy transition, as we strive each and every day to push back the boundaries of what is considered possible.
Plastic top cover, including distribution channel Battery cell stack Spacer, including potting compound Cell Supervision Circuit (CSC) Plastic frame Cell contacting system Plastic bottom cover, including distribution channel
Our performance battery module consisting of cylindrical lithium-ion cells is packed with a wealth of technological expertise that is applied to customer-specific development projects. Key performance features:
- Connection in series possible up to an integrated system voltage of 1,000 V
- Immersion cooling enables high electrical output without power reduction while driving and charging
- Battery housings and plastic modules in a highly integrated lightweight design
- Wireless battery management system (cable-based solution possible on request)
- Flexible system configuration thanks to individual modules or module-to-chassis battery design
- Very low overall height enables a low seating position
