← External Forces: Climate & Resource (all topics)
Vehicle electrification - fastener & electronics content
What it is
How electrification changes fastener demand. An EV deletes the engine, gearbox and exhaust - the most fastener-dense assemblies in a vehicle - but adds battery enclosures, module stacks, busbars, thermal systems and power electronics
The new content is different in kind: lighter-gauge, corrosion-resistant, often non-magnetic or aluminium-compatible, with electrical conductivity and torque-retention requirements
Impact on industries
- Powertrain fastener content per vehicle falls, and it is the highest-value, highest-specification portion of the traditional basket
- Battery pack assembly is fastener-intensive in its own right - enclosures, modules and busbars need large numbers of specified joints
- New requirements favour makers with metallurgy and coating capability, since EV joints face galvanic corrosion and electrical continuity demands ICE joints do not
- Requalification is not automatic - an incumbent on an ICE platform must win the EV platform separately, opening the door to new entrants