In the future, private transport in urban areas will be characterized by decarbonization, deprivatization, and intelligent networking. That means light, comfortable vehicles with more electrification components. Sika is helping to drive this trend with structural and heat-conductive adhesives and products for damping and reinforcing body construction.
is how much global sales of battery-powered electric vehicles have increased during 2018 alone. The potential for sales of Sika products is 20% higher in electric vehicles than in combustion engine-powered vehicles.
is how much less fuel a combustion-engined vehicle consumes when its weight is reduced by 10%. Using Sika products helps manufacturers make cars lighter.
weight reduction can be achieved if the vehicle body is constructed with lightweight materials. Structural adhesives such as SikaPower® are extensively used to join these new materials.
Lightweight Construction
Systematically using SikaPower® systems can reduce the amount of CO2 emitted by cars with internal combustion engines by 150 kg a year. This structural adhesive technology is the key to multi-material design, an approach that enables car builders to systematically reduce the weight of bodywork. Furthermore, adhesives have other advantages. They increase the stiffness of the car body and therefore make cars safer. Corrosion resistance and service life are also improved. Sika is driving the trend forward by launching adhesives that help make production more efficient by gearing product performance properties to customer's process requirements.
Electrification
As electric vehicles, safety systems, or even self-driving vehicles become more widespread, demand is being created for new solutions. This is because electrification systems generate heat, which creates a risk of overheating or even fire. By establishing and expanding its Advanced Resins unit, Sika has further strengthened business in this area. Sika supplies heat-conductive adhesives and materials for encapsulating and insulating electrical systems. These help ensure that the vehicles of the future will be safer, longer-lived, and more efficient.
Acoustics
The combined, strong offering of Sika and Faist ChemTec, the specialist for structure-borne noise management, is making cars quieter and less susceptible to vibrations. These lightweight, multilayer, industry-leading products enable car manufacturers to build lighter vehicles that emit less CO2 without having to compromise on acoustic comfort. The newly acquired technologies complement Sika’s existing portfolio of airborne noise treatments with solutions for structure-borne noise. Sika is the clear technology leader in acoustic solutions for automotive construction.
Strong Sika Growth
The average value of the Sika materials to be found in vehicles is constantly increasing. Sika continues to overperform the automotive market growth.
25 MN
of the 95 million cars built worldwide each year contain Sikaflex®. The primerless, high-performance adhesive is used for direct glazing, composite materials, and interior trims.
21 %
is the average annual rate at which sales of the SikaPower® product family have grown over the past five years. The outlook is good. A study by CAR Research estimates that adhesives will have replaced welding as the preferred bonding technology in automotive manufacturing by 2030 at the latest.