In the transition to electric vehicles, new safety systems are needed. To provide the growing market with advanced solutions, Rheinmetall has developed a pyrofuse that has won the 2021 China Automotive & Parts Industry Developing & Innovation Award.
The annual award ceremony was hosted by the distinguished magazine of the Chinese automobile industry, Automobile & Parts at the end of 2021.
The compact pyrofuse, a pyrotechnical safety switch system developed by the Sensors and Actuators division, won the prize in the domain of new energy.
Rheinmetall’s high voltage pyrofuse ensures safe operation of battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV). The system disconnects the battery or the DC charger in case of emergency such as accidents, crashes or short circuits, reducing possible dangers and risks for passengers, rescue teams and first aiders. It has an ultrafast response speed below one millisecond and breaks the power supply immediately.
The operating voltage of the Rheinmetall innovation ranges from 450 to 1,000 VDC and it can break high currents of up to 30kA, operating at temperatures up to 120°C. The fuse system has the lowest best-in-class internal electrical resistance and reduces power losses and thermal self-heating.
Further benefits are the low weight and the cost-efficient design, and the ability to disconnect short circuit currents without outburst of conductive and hot gases. Additionally, the system is available with an integrated current sensor, saving costs, space and assembly efforts and simplifying component harmonisation.
With the ongoing transformation to e-mobility and new market demands, pyrofuse systems will be widely used in electric vehicles and this technological segment will undergo rapid development. Rheinmetall will continue to expand its advantages and drive further technological progress in the field of mobility and security.
Rheinmetall possesses a longstanding expertise in pyrotechnics. For customers in the automotive industry, the company has manufactured airbag igniters on a large scale. Belt tensioners also feature sensor triggered Rheinmetall pyrotechnic solutions that react instantly in hazardous situations. Law enforcement agencies and armies use pyrotechnic flash/bang munitions from Rheinmetall to disorient and disable opponents. Moreover, special smoke/obscurant and illumination rounds can be used to protect assets deployed in harm’s way and to give them a decisive tactical advantage in critical situations.