The upcoming Stella Terra vehicle will use PPG CORACHAR™ fire protection coatings to safeguard the lithium (Li)-ion battery pack and protect the car from thermal damage.
The international paints and coatings manufacturer PPG has recently announced a partnership with a student organisation from the Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherlands) to develop Stella Terra, the first solar-powered off-road car that will be coated with PPG CORACHAR™.
PPG will provide an amount of $37,000 to the Solar Team Eindhoven as part of its recent $5 million commitment to the environmental sustainability education. In addition, the company will supply its PPG CORACHAR fire protection coating to safeguard the lithium (Li)-ion battery pack of Stella Terra, which has been designed to withstand the harsh conditions of off-roading. As a matter of fact, the car will be tested in the Sahara Desert (Morocco) in October 2023.
The PPG CORACHAR battery fire protection coatings are intumescent solutions that expand in the presence of high heat or fire, providing an insulating layer to protect from thermal damage. Furthermore, they can improve light-weighting, increase battery performance, support passenger and first-responder safety in case of a fire.
“A risk of Li-ion batteries is that they can experience thermal runaway. While the probability of this failure occurring is rather slim, we decided to partner with PPG to minimize the effects of such a severe accident. PPG’s cutting-edge innovations on battery coatings make it possible for Terra’s drivers and its surroundings to evacuate in a worst-case scenario by stalling the spread of a battery fire,” has stated Wisse Bos, team manager of Solar Team Eindhoven.
“The project supports PPG’s goals of developing sustainably advantaged technologies and supporting sustainability education. Through this investment, we aim to support educational activities related to clean energy and the future of mobility and help prepare the next generation of leaders to understand the impacts of climate change,” has concluded Thierry Destruhaut, PPG customer sustainability business partner for the Automotive OEM Coatings.