Number 4 - ExxonMobil in the UK

17
The automotive
industry represents
a major market for
products manufactured
by ExxonMobil
Chemical Company.
During the past
year, the company
expanded its role in that
industry by introducing
new product applications
and adding capacity
at company plants in
Florida and Louisiana as
well as through a thirdparty
facility in Singapore.
The effort has opened new
markets and also has won
the company recognition for its
technical leadership.
Better battery efficiency
ExxonMobil Chemical was honored
in October when it received
a leading industry innovation
award for its battery separator
film technology. Pioneered by a
team of company scientists led
by Dr. Pat Brant, this technology
can significantly improve
the power, capacity, stability and
safety of lithium-ion batteries.
Such enhanced performance
can enable the use of smaller,
more powerful batteries in the
next generation of lower-emission
vehicles.
One such automobile is the
new Maya-300, manufactured
by Canada-based Electrovaya,
which produces lithium-ion
battery systems. Last January,
ExxonMobil announced that its
battery separator film technology
will be a key component of
Electrovaya’s battery systems.
Story by Thomas L. Torget
ExxonMobil Chemical
boosts role in auto industry
High-performance specialty films and polymers help
make vehicles lighter, safer and more energy-efficient.
“This film is just one of many
technologies we’re working on
to improve energy efficiency and
reduce emissions in the transportation
sector,” says Steve
Pryor, president of ExxonMobil
Chemical Company. “Our battery
separator film could help usher in
a new wave of more fuel-efficient
hybrid and electric vehicles.”
Electrovaya’s Maya-300 vehicle
is designed specifically for
urban use, with a driving range
of up to 120 miles before battery
recharge. Sankar Das Gupta,
the company’s chief executive
officer, says ExxonMobil’s battery
film technology helps make his
company’s battery systems more
energy-efficient, reliable and safe.
“We view our zero-emission
Maya-300 vehicle as marking a
new era in which affordable clean
transportation solutions become
available with sufficient range for
daily local driving,” he says.
Another customer for
ExxonMobil’s battery separator
film is Indiana-based EnerDel,
which manufactures lithium-ion
battery systems.
“Highly advanced, precision
materials are essential to the
rapid progress we see in lithiumion
battery development,” says
EnerDel Chief Executive Ulrik
Grape. “Improved performance
and efficiency, along with lower
costs, will help bring a new
generation of electric and hybrid
vehicles to market quickly.”
ExxonMobil Chemical produces
its battery separator film
at a plant in Nasu, Japan. To
meet growing demand for the
product, ExxonMobil and its
Japanese affiliate TonenGeneral
recently began construction of
a new manufacturing plant in
Gumi, South Korea. Startup is
expected in late 2009.
The best of both
rubber and plastic
Demand is growing rapidly for
ExxonMobil Chemical’s revolutionary
new tire material technology
that improves vehicle fuel
efficiency.
Known as Exxcore dynamically
vulcanized alloy (DVA), the
material is used in tire innerliners
to achieve improved air retention
with less material.
“This reduces air loss between
fillings, which not only makes for
safer driving but also helps conserve
energy,” says Art Sullivan,
ExxonMobil Chemical vice president
for the butyl polymers
business.
Exxcore DVA combines the
flexibility and elasticity of rubber
with the lower air permeability of
plastic. The result is air permeability
seven to 10 times lower than
that of existing innerliner materials.
Sullivan notes that if all vehicle
tires on the road in the United
States retained air pressure as
well as tires made with Exxcore
DVA, the result would be a savings
of more than 700 million gallons
of fuel annually.
“Greenhouse gases would also
be reduced by more than 6 million
tons a year,” he says. “That’s
equivalent to taking more than a
million cars off the roads.”
Yokohama Rubber Company
began manufacturing tires with
Exxcore DVA innerliners this year.