Page 50 - 2020 Interconnect Innovations eBook

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A New High-Performance Clad Solution for EV Charging Connections
Sejin Im, Automotive Market Director, Materion Corporation
There are many challenges associated with automotive electrification, especially as high-power, direct-current (DC) fast chargers become more popular. Fast charging for electric vehicles is convenient and saves time, but it creates a challenging, high-power operating environment for the charging terminal components, and the materials traditionally used in EV connectors cannot withstand the wear that results. A new high-performance, silver-based alloy specifically designed for its low insertion force, outstanding wear characteristics, and high electrical conductivity — iON EV clad — offers an innovative solution. This breakthrough material can be selectively clad for next-generation connector charging applications, offering an ideal replacement for the incumbent silver solutions.
Cladding Ensures Quality and Enables Property Versatility
Before looking closely at the characteristics of the silver-based iON EV material, it’s critical to first understand the cladding process used to join the metals together. At a high level, the process of cladding enables the use of several materials with different property sets to address application challenges, offering a more efficient, high-performance, and cost-efficient solution compared with coated or electroplated materials.