Electric vehicles are continuing to play a vital role in decarbonizing the transport industry as they help with the shift away from fossil fuel reliance with their utilization of battery technologies. IDTechEx's portfolio of Electric Vehicles Research Reports and Subscriptions is home to a well-rounded overview of the electric vehicle sector, and includes different vehicle types, materials, and thermal management strategies.
Micro EVs for cityscapes
Micro vehicles including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and microcars have long been a huge target for electrification, due to their smaller size and presence within cities as well as their use for delivery applications. The many short journeys these vehicles make across built-up areas mean that recharging should not be an issue, as charging stations are likely to be more widely available in cities than in rural areas, while also creating frequent opportunities for regenerative braking. IDTechEx's report, "Micro EVs 2026-2046: Electric Two-Wheelers, Three-Wheelers, and Microcars", explores drivers for micro EVs, including their nimble nature and ability to weave through traffic, alongside the lower cost of electrification when compared with larger vehicles like passenger cars and trucks. The smaller battery size and weight mean they can be cheaper to manufacture and maintain, and easier to deploy. Micro EVs, particularly two-wheelers, have a dominant presence across Asia, where they have long been used within big cities. IDTechEx also reports that grants for micro-EV purchasing are in place as an incentive for the movement away from combustion vehicles.
Materials and thermal management strategies
While lead-acid batteries are commonly used for micro EVs, lithium-ion batteries are widespread for larger electric vehicles. Li-ion batteries could prove to be a better alternative for micro EVs, with improved performance and less need to be replaced, while also recently being subject to reductions in price. With multiple Li-ion chemistry options for EVs ranging from NMC, LFP, and LMFP, depending on vehicle type or performance requirements, the landscape for EV battery development is sizable. The increase in global environmental regulations affecting the EV market, including emission regulations, is also pushing uptake, and raising battery material demand globally. IDTechEx's report, "Materials for Electric Vehicle Battery Cells and Packs 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, Forecasts", predicts that the global material demand for EV battery materials will reach 22.2 million tonnes by 2036, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11.8%, highlighting the expected success of the EV market.
Many of the materials accounted for within this 2036 figure are those for thermal management systems within electric vehicles, which are necessary to ensure risks of thermal runaway and fires are minimized. Batteries, motors, and other EV components each have their own optimal operation temperatures, with IDTechEx's report, "Thermal Management for Electric Vehicles 2026-2036: Materials, Markets, and Technologies", exploring each component individually and the ranges either side of their optimal temperatures at which performances may begin to decline or lose efficiency.
Thermal interface materials, fire protection materials, thermal management strategy, and heat pumps and architecture are four battery thermal management categories outlined within the report, each with their own intra-competitiveness between materials. Ceramics, mica, aerogels, foams, encapsulants, and coatings, are just some of the material options for fire protection, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. For thermal management, air (passive or forced), liquid (water-glycol), refrigerant, phase change materials, and immersion are all potential strategies, showing the vast landscape for EV thermal management that exists as a result of the importance of safety prioritization. IDTechEx's report dives into forecasts for the uptake of different material types spanning the next decade.
For more information on electric vehicles, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Electric Vehicles Research Reports and Subscriptions for the latest research and developments across the sector.
