Toronto, Ontario — AkzoNobel and Chinese electric automaker NIO have won the 2025 Altair enlighten award for sustainable product after co-developing a coating designed to extend the lifespan of electric vehicle battery protection systems.
The award was given to the companies’ jointly engineered Interpon A1000 coating in the sustainable product category. The product protects battery bottom plates, tripling service life from five to 15 years while reducing coating thickness by 70 percent and cutting vehicle weight by 2.2 kg or 4.8 pounds.
NIO’s EVs use automated power swap stations that allow drivers to exchange depleted batteries for fully charged ones. The process increases wear on battery plates, which the AkzoNobel and NIO coating is designed to withstand.
“The innovative coating we’ve jointly developed with AkzoNobel has greatly enhanced the reliability and service life of our battery systems,” said Shizhe Tzeng, NIO’s vice-president battery system. “It supports NIO’s 15-year battery longevity strategy and marks a critical breakthrough in EV material innovation.”
Jeff Jirak, managing director of AkzoNobel’s powder coatings business, said the award highlights the company’s leadership in EV coating technology and its focus on sustainable development.
The coating replaces traditional PVC materials, saving more than two tonnes — or 4.4 million pounds — of material annually. According to officials from AkzoNobel, the resulting weight reduction cuts vehicle electricity consumption by more than 2 GWh, while the system achieves zero volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions and a 95 percent powder recycling rate.
Mass production began in November 2024 at AkzoNobel’s Changzhou facility, with around 80,000 NIO EVs already using the patented technology.
The Altair enlighten awards are the only global automotive honours dedicated to lightweighting and sustainability.
