(AGENPARL) – Wed 17 September 2025 Akzo Nobel N.V.
Media release
September 17, 2025
AkzoNobel and electric car-maker NIO power their way to major innovation
award
(AKZA; AKZOY)
One of the automotive industry’s most coveted innovation prizes – the 2025 Altair Enlighten Award –
has been won by AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings business and Chinese electric car-maker NIO, in
recognition for co-developing a new product which will help NIO achieve its 15-year EV battery
longevity ambition.
Designed to protect electric battery bottom plates, the specially formulated product within the Interpon
A1000 range will triple the life of the battery shielding coatings compared with existing solutions, making
AkzoNobel the first coatings company to win the honor in the Sustainable Product category.
Instead of traditional charging, NIO enables drivers to quickly exchange a depleted EV battery for a
newly charged one at its automated Power Swap stations. However, repeated battery swaps may
expose the bottom plate to abrasion, corrosion and mechanical wear.
The specially formulated Interpon product co-developed with NIO will triple the life of their battery shielding coatings compared
with existing solutions.
Working together with NIO, AkzoNobel’s Interpon brand created a dedicated coating which was
specially engineered for superior durability. As well as extending the service life of the underbody
coating from five to 15 years, it also reduces coating thickness by 70% and cuts vehicle weight by 2.2
“The innovative coating we’ve jointly developed with AkzoNobel has greatly enhanced the reliability and
service life of our battery systems,” says 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.”
Adds Jeff Jirak, Managing Director of AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings business. “We’re extremely proud
to win this prestigious award together with NIO. It’s recognition for our joint commitment to
groundbreaking innovation, while also highlighting our leadership in EV coating technology and our
continued focus on promoting the sustainable development of the industry.”
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Beyond its superior protective properties, the new coating also enhances production efficiency. By
replacing traditional PVC materials, it saves more than 2,000 tons of material annually, while the
resulting weight reduction cuts vehicle electricity consumption by more than 2 GWh. With zero VOC
emissions and a 95% powder recycling rate, the technology forms a sustainable closed-loop system
covering the entire product lifecycle.
The new product demonstrates how powder coatings are increasingly playing an important functional
role in automotive applications, while reinforcing AkzoNobel’s position in the EV mobility space.
Through its Resicoat powder brand, the company already offers a dedicated range of solutions
specifically designed to provide electrical insulation for EV components such as battery systems and
electric motors.
In mass production since November 2024, the patented Interpon A1000 technology has already been
used on around 80,000 NIO EVs, across multiple models. It was developed at AkzoNobel’s Shanghai
Technology Center and is manufactured at the company’s Changzhou plant.
Since partnering in 2020, the cooperation between AkzoNobel and NIO has expanded into core
components such as wheels, chassis, calipers and battery packs, encompassing the entire NIO vehicle
line-up.
The Altair Enlighten Awards are the only global automotive industry honors to focus on vehicle
lightweighting and sustainable development. The Sustainable Product category aims to recognize
projects that have made breakthrough progress in reducing emissions, lightweighting, material recycling
and enhancing safety.
See how NIO’s automated Power Swap station works.
–About AkzoNobel
Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class
portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150
countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect
from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing more sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we
have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.
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Contact: Joost Ruempol