Technological watch

As electromobility expands, the need for charging stations is growing accordingly. The European Green Deal targets the availability of one million public charging points by 2025. They will be required to power the 13 million electric cars expected by then to be traversing European roads.

Covestro is driving the transition to electromobility with innovative material solutions and has been cooperating for more than 10 years with EVBox Group, a leading Dutch full-service provider for electric car charging. By using Makrolon RE, an ISCC PLUS–certified mass-balanced polycarbonate (PC) resin, both companies aim to achieve an even more sustainable solution.

The objective is to set a new standard for charging infrastructures: While electric vehicles no longer require fossil fuels for power, both partners are now looking to conserve resources for charging stations and equip them with more sustainable materials. Joint developments are just beginning, but ISCC PLUS–certified Makrolon RE PC has already cleared one important hurdle — it meets the technical requirements of charging station manufacturers.

"It is important to us to think about the entire life cycle of charging stations right from their development and design," explained Wijnand Diemer, Senior Director, Product Management, at EVBox Group. "These include circular materials as source materials, a modular design that facilitates repairs, and, last but not least, the remanufacturing of components and entire charging stations. We are pleased to have Covestro as a competent and trustworthy partner for this."

Makrolon RE series plastics come from recycled waste and residues. Like the standard products, they are recyclable and durable. Some products are even carbon neutral from cradle to factory gate, thanks to the introduction of raw materials derived from mass-balanced biowaste and residues and the use of renewable energy in the production process. This should significantly reduce their carbon footprint compared with standard types.

Dr. Niklas Meine from Marketing Electrical & Electronics, Engineering Plastics Segment, EMEA, at Covestro, added: “In order to meet the technical requirements, special material properties are essential. These include impact resistance, color fastness, and surface quality as characteristic features that polycarbonates have to meet in very different climatic regions, including outdoors. The key factor here is durability. Our Makrolon RE series offers outstanding technical properties based on alternative raw materials, thus allowing for significant CO2 emission savings as early as in the production of charging stations.”