CS News

In a recent article, Cooper Standard’s Chris Couch, vice president and chief technology and procurement officer, discussed the use of plastics and rubber in the new electric vehicle environment with Rubber News’ managing editor Erin Pustay Beaven. 

Couch shares his thoughts on the future of sealing and fluid handling products, as well as the Company’s sustainability and innovation efforts, and their Fortrex® Chemistry Platform, as the automotive industry transitions to electric vehicles.  

For sealing, Couch shared that "one of the biggest differences we see between electric vehicle sealing systems and non-EV is the desire for differentiation, both in terms of the appearance—because those systems are often visible from outside the car and they want them to look different.," Couch said. "They want them to look very sleek, they want them to be very aerodynamic and flush against the vehicle. And so that is opening up the door for us to introduce some exciting innovations into the sealing space."

The Company’s fluid handling product line will see the most disruption. “There is space for a huge amount of innovation,” Couch said. “One of those is in terms of materials because those materials are transitioning from rubber-hose-based – which you use for gasoline engines – to plastic-tubing-based. That lets the system be more lightweight, (and use) nicer materials.”

Be sure to check out the full article here.