Not just batteries: The chemistry of electric cars

Whether the cars of the future are autonomous or manually driven, and whether they are individually owned or shared, they will almost inevitably be electric. And while, obviously enough, fully electric vehicles consume no hydrocarbon fuel, their manufacture requires many more fine chemicals, plastics and polymers than conventional vehicles.

An electric vehicle can only perform safely and efficiently if the materials used in its construction have a particular set of properties, both alone and in combination. Parts of the vehicle are subject to extremely high voltages, temperatures and stresses, so some components must be completely electrically isolated, and the vehicle must also be resistant to such stresses. The battery must be protected from crash damage to prevent fires, and the whole vehicle must be made from materials that are low in density to reduce the total vehicle weight. This problem limited the take-up of the earliest models. The materials must also be as durable and inexpensive as possible.