Driving Greener Innovation: The Crucial Role of Silicones in the Automotive Industry
As we mark World Environment Day 2025, the automotive industry continues to embrace innovative, cleaner materials that support sustainability. One such unsung hero is silicone a versatile material powering critical advances in vehicle safety, efficiency, and environmental impact.
Why Silicones Matter in Automotive Sustainability
Silicones (as rubber, fluids, or elastomers) offer exceptional thermal stability, weather resistance, electrical insulation, and low compression set properties. These features make them ideal for applications where performance, longevity, and environmental compliance are vital.
Here’s how silicones are used in today’s vehicles:
| Application | Silicone Function |
|---|---|
| Engine gaskets & seals | Resists high temperatures, oil, and coolant exposure |
| EV battery modules | Improves heat dissipation between cells; increases fire safety via fire starvation⁷ |
| EV cabling | Offers thermal stability and insulation in compact high-voltage environments⁸ |
| Airbags | Silicone coatings enable instant, reliable deployment |
| Tires | Reduces rolling resistance; used in inner linings and tread compounds and in self-sealing tires² |
| Windshield & surface coatings | Minimizes wind drag, improves aerodynamics |
| Lubricants & polishes | Reduces surface friction, provides long-term protection |
| Wipers, sensors, ECUs (Electronic Control Units) | Protects from UV, moisture, and vibration |
How Silicones Enhance Vehicle Performance and Efficiency
Silicones are helping modern vehicles hit multiple green goals:
- Improved Fuel Efficiency: Silicone coatings and tire compounds reduce aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance, boosting fuel economy by up to 6%³.
- Battery Performance & Safety: In EVs, silicone thermal interface materials (TIMs) help prevent thermal runaway by dissipating heat between battery cells. Their fire-starving property prevents flames from jumping between adjacent cells, increasing safety⁷. Silicone sheaths in EV high-voltage cables deliver reliable performance in confined, high-heat environments, maintaining insulation and flexibility over time⁷.
- Self-Sealing Tires: Silicone gels used in next-gen tire inner linings enable self-sealing capability, reducing blowouts and increasing lifecycle efficiency⁴.
- Extended Lifespan: Silicone rubber components have a service life >20 years, compared to ~10–12 years for traditional materials⁵. This lowers replacement rates and overall emissions.
- Flame Retardant and Self-Extinguishing Properties: Silicone rubbers used in automotive applications meet the UL 94 V-0 flammability rating, meaning they self-extinguish within 10 seconds and do not drip flaming material⁶. This property is critical for components like connectors, battery housings, and cables in high-risk zones.
A Shift in Material Usage Over Time
| Component | Silicone Use (2000s) | Silicone Use (2020s) |
|---|---|---|
| Engine & seals | 50–100 g | 200–300 g |
| Battery modules | Negligible | 1–2 kg (in EVs) |
| Tires & exterior coatings | 10–20 g | 200–400 g |
| Electronics & cabling | 20–50 g | 100–200 g |
| Total (per vehicle) | ~200–300 g | 2–4 kg |
A material for the future
Silicones are helping the automotive sector align with net-zero goals, not only by improving vehicle efficiency but also by enhancing safety, longevity, and recyclability.
On this World Environment Day, let’s recognize the quiet but powerful role of silicones in making cleaner, safer mobility a reality, one innovation at a time.
Data Referenced from -1)Zhang, S. et al. “Thermal Management in Lithium-Ion Battery Packs Using Silicone Elastomers” – Energy Storage Materials, 2023.2)European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA), 2022.3)Michelin Group Technical Review on Rolling Resistance, 2022.4)Continental Tires Tech Brief – “Self-Sealing Tire Technology”, 2023.5) Wacker Chemie AG, “Silicone Rubber Technical Manual”, 2023.Underwriters Laboratories (UL 94), 2023.6)GE Silicones White Paper – “Vehicle Safety via Silicone Technology”, 2022. Han, K. et al. “Fire Suppression via Cell Isolation in Silicone Encapsulated Battery Modules” – Journal of Power Sources, 2024.7) Elkem Technical Datasheet – “High Voltage Silicone Cable Compounds”, 2023.8) Allied Market Research – “Growth in Silicone Consumption in the Automotive Sector”, 2024.9) Grand View Research. Automotive Silicone Market Trends, 2024.