Aerogel has historically experienced steady market growth and will reach a market size of just under $450 million by 2022. Progress has been slower than some expected; This is mainly due to competition with existing insulation materials at lower cost. However, the use of aerogel as a thermal insulation material for electric vehicle (EV) batteries presents a new and rapidly growing opportunity for the aerogel market. Some experts predict that by 2025, electric vehicle batteries will account for more than half of the aerogel market.
1. The benefits of aerogel for electric vehicles
Aerogel is known to have excellent thermal insulation properties (0.015-0.020W/m·K). This is a required feature for electric vehicle batteries. Typically, batteries are cooled by thermal management strategies such as water-cooled plates and coolant channels, and it is beneficial to isolate the thermal energy of the batteries from each other, which helps keep the batteries warm in cold conditions and prevents heat transfer between the batteries if they overheat. Aerogel also has a very low density (3 kg per cubic meter), which helps to reduce the area occupied by the insulation material.
2, aerogels to solve the historical problem of electric vehicles
One of the limitations of aerogels for electric vehicles is the lower maximum combustion temperature. As Oems look to provide safety in the event of thermal runaway, aerogel manufacturers are now mainly advising that their materials will provide protection at temperatures well above 1000 ° C.
Another issue is the handling of these materials and their "dusty" nature, and to address this, some aerogels manufacturers offer electric vehicle products in packaged form, allowing for direct integration into the battery.
As with all automotive industries, cost has always been a barrier. Aerogel can offer a variety of properties, which can alleviate this problem to some extent. As electric vehicle battery packs tend to increase energy density through greater integration, multifunctional materials have become the focus of attention. Aerogel can provide thermal insulation, electrical isolation, fire resistance, and some compression properties. In addition, as manufacturing scales up and order volumes increase, aerogels have the potential to reduce costs to further compete with alternatives.

3. Comparison between aerogel and other fireproof materials
Commonly used fireproof materials are ceramic felt, mica sheet, foam packaging and so on. There are many other materials also aiming to compete in this area, including expansion materials and phase change materials. Each material has its own trade-offs in terms of core characteristics such as thermal conductivity, density, compression properties, maximum protection temperature, and sustainability. The specific cell design will also influence the choice, such as the cell format (prismatic, cylindrical) and the battery pack structure (battery pack, thermal management strategy, etc.). Multiple options will continue to present opportunities, and no single solution is expected to completely dominate the market in the next 10 years.
The aerogel market has been growing steadily, but electric vehicles will drive the market to grow rapidly, with experts predicting that by 2034, the aerogel market will total more than $2.6 billion, the vast majority of which will be accounted for by electric vehicle batteries. Several other materials will compete in this area, but aerogel will be the standard choice.