New solutions addressing unmet customer needs for filtration materials in electric vehicles, including solutions for the cabin air, transmission and cooling system have been developed by Ahlstrom-Munksjö.

For cabin air, the company has developed a particulate portfolio for protecting against coarse, fine and ultrafine particles, including bacteria and viruses, and a carbon portfolio for an increased level of protection and comfort.

In cooling fluids filtration – where reliable shielding of the thermal management system is required – the company supplies high permeability air filtration media preventing wear of the fan and clogging of the system, and proprietary fully synthetic three-layer media covering most cooling oil filtration requirements.

The effectiveness and lifetime of battery packs, fuel cell units and e-motors in electric vehicles depends significantly on the ability to keep them in a narrow temperature window whatever the conditions of use, the company says.

For transmission filtration to provide enhanced protection of the drivetrain, the cleanliness of the oil is of increasing importance. Here, Ahlstrom-Munksjö provides both premium glass microfibre media with optional protective scrims as well as fully synthetic three-layer media with excellent durability and a wide range of efficiency covering most filtration requirements.

The vehicle industry is witnessing rapid electrification, driven by the global need to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions the company notes, and as the infrastructure for charging expands and offers fast, reliable and convenient charging, double-digit annual growth for electric vehicles is expected.

Major automakers are expecting electric vehicles to represent a significant share of their production in the coming years, while some even plan to discontinue manufacturing combustion engine driven cars by the next decade. It is estimated that electric vehicles will represent 25% of light vehicles production in 2030.

The addressable annual market opportunity for filtration media used in electric vehicles is expected to grow at around 35% per year up until 2030, reaching approximately €100 million.

“I am very pleased to introduce our initial range of products from the FiltEV platform,” says Cedric Vallet, head of business development for Ahlstrom-Munksjö industrial filtration and new vehicles. “We plan to further expand our portfolio of solutions in this field to include fuel cell air intake in the coming months.”

www.ahlstrom-munksjo.com