Press release
Corporate Press
September 12, 2011

Evonik Industries at the IAA International Motor Show – Competence in concept and series

  • Electromobility relies on expertise by the chemicals industry
  • For everything from battery technology to lightweight design

 

Evonik Industries provides the chemical science expertise that will drive the future. At the IAA in Frankfurt, Germany, Evonik will be exhibiting examples of battery technology concepts and serial-production models. Its display in the Electromobility Hall will include presentation of the "Wind Explorer" concept car which has already completed a pioneering journey across a distance of around 4,900 kilometers around Australia. Evonik will also be showcasing a revolutionary photovoltaic carport and an electric car.

The IAA in Frankfurt provides a professional forum for the biennial meeting of decision makers from the automotive industry. "Our exhibition at the IAA will show that modern materials, products and solutions supplied by the chemicals industry are the basis for future-oriented mobility," explains Patrik Wohlhauser, Evonik Executive Board member.

The "Wind Explorer" demonstrates Evonik's R&D competence. Featuring lithium-ion technology manufactured by Li-Tec Battery, an Evonik subsidiary, this electromobile has just recently (in early September) been awarded the EcoGlobe 2011 prize, a prestigious international environment award, in the category "Ecological Concept Car". The “Wind Explorer” weighs in at only 200 kilograms and is able to travel a distance of some 400 kilometers on a single fully-charged battery. The two-seater features a body made, for the most part, of a carbon-fiber composite containing Evonik’s ROHACELL® structural foam. Components built using ROHACELL® rather than the steel elements traditionally used enable the reduction of vehicle weight.

In late January 2011, Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer, two extreme-sports enthusiasts from Germany, embarked on a 17-day pioneering journey around Australia in this electric vehicle powered by wind energy and lithium-ion batteries. When their car battery ran low, the pilots could either use a mobile wind-power unit to reload it or, in the absence of sufficient winds, connect it to a conventional electricity outlet for recharging. The mobile wind turbine and a six-meter-high telescopic mast made of bamboo were easily assembled in no more than half an hour. Evonik supplied the battery technology used to store the wind-generated power.

Another exhibit at Evonik’s IAA stand will be the Solar Carport which uses sunlight to produce power. Its filigree design is made possible by a lightweight plastic solar module.

The Carport serves as an exclusive vehicle shelter and docking station. The new photovoltaic design Carport by MAGE SUNOVATION GmbH uses PLEXIGLAS® made by Evonik as light multi-skin sheeting, which delivers additional weight savings, for incorporation of the solar cells. The cover sheet is made of solid PLEXIGLAS® that not only protects the solar cells but also improves their efficiency; this is achieved by the customized transmission properties of PLEXIGLAS® Solar, whose transmission properties are specially adjusted to the spectral response of solar cells.

The Carport in futuristic design thus offers all the modern conveniences of a state-of-the-art structure of this kind: solar modules for the generation of electricity, energy-saving high-performance LEDs, motion sensors to activate illumination and a power socket for recharging an electric vehicle.

The IAA is the perfect setting for this elegantly arched Solar Carport. With a photovoltaic surface measuring eight square meters, it can produce enough electricity to feed an electric car that travels daily distances of up to around 40 kilometers. The electrical output of the solar cells—generally measured in kilowatts-peak (kWp)—is one kWp.

The Carport will be exhibited alongside an electric car that features lithium-ion technology by Evonik. Evonik manufactures its lithium-ion battery cells in Kamenz, Germany (near Dresden). At the heart of this technology is an innovative ceramic separator that reliably separates the anode and cathode in the battery cell. Annual production capacity for these cells is expected to be increased from around 300,000 units today to some three million in 2013. Evonik is already earmarked to supply its cells for the E-Smart due to go into mass production in Hambach, France, in 2012.

Evonik Industries is a worldwide manufacturer of PMMA products sold under the PLEXIGLAS® trademark on the European, Asian, African and Australian continents and under the trademark ACRYLITE® in the Americas.

About Evonik

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders
in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. In 2010 about 80 percent of the Group’s chemicals sales came from activities where it ranks among the market leaders. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms.
Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2010 more than 34,000 employees generated sales of around €13.3 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.4 billion.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.