People associate powder coating with colour and rust protection. In an electric vehicle battery, it plays a very different role: keeping current from flowing where it should not. It is one of the fastest-changing markets in our industry.
Insulating high-voltage parts
A battery pack holds hundreds of cells, cooling plates and busbars, packed tightly against one another. Each metal part must be insulated from its neighbours. This was mostly done with adhesive films and tapes. Paint manufacturers now offer to replace these films with a coating. PCI Magazine explains why powder is a good fit: in a single coat, it forms a thick film, 75 to 250 µm. PPG adds that a coating, unlike an adhesive film, leaves no seams or bubbles.
Three manufacturers, three product lines
AkzoNobel launched its Resicoat EV line in 2023, then, in July 2024, a version that reaches the insulating thickness in a single application instead of two. PPG offers its Envirocron Dielectric powder in several versions. In October 2025, Axalta introduced two Alesta e-PRO powders: one insulating, the other designed to withstand thermal runaway, the battery fire that every automaker is trying to contain.
A market still in validation
Two caveats. First, the "powder replaces film" argument comes mostly from those who sell powder. E-Mobility Engineering magazine reviews coatings, tapes and films: each option has its strengths and its limits. Second, several of these products are still being validated by automakers: Axalta says so itself.
Why we are talking about it
We do not coat battery cells. But this market is pulling the whole industry up: powders applied in a thick, even coat, strict thickness control, good edge coverage. These advances end up benefiting the powders we apply every day on automotive and industrial parts. And it is not out of the question that a Quebec manufacturer will one day ask us for an insulating finish.
In summary
- In a battery, powder acts as an electrical insulator between metal parts.
- It forms a film of 75 to 250 µm in a single coat.
- AkzoNobel, PPG and Axalta launched product lines between 2023 and 2025.
- Films, tapes and coatings each have their limits; several products are still in validation.
