EV battery deployment hit 1.2 TWh in 2025, up nearly 30% year on year (IEA, Global EV Outlook 2026). The thermal insulation materials that go into those packs are growing even faster: from USD 1.62 billion in 2025 to a projected USD 4.21 billion by 2031 (Intel Market Research). In the U.S., BloombergNEF expects more than 204 GW of new storage capacity over the next decade.
Heat. Voltage. Vibration. Electrolyte. A battery pack is one of the harshest environments a cable can live in. If a single meter of harness insulation fails, the whole module pays for it.
Chengrun has made insulation materials since 2001. Today the factory runs 1,000+ machines across two sites (30,000 m²) with 8 dedicated high-temperature lines, and ships sleeving, tubing, tapes and conduit to pack makers around the world. This page covers how those products are applied inside battery systems, and what to specify when you design yours.
Short version: most battery harness failures start with insulation, not with the wire.
Failure mode |
What happens unprotected |
Why packs are unforgiving |
Thermal runaway |
Fire jumps from cell to cell |
One cell failure cascades; flame-retardant sleeving buys escape time |
Heat |
Insulation melts, wires short |
Cell surfaces and busbars run hot; temperature rating is a spec, not a suggestion |
Electrolyte contact |
Tubing corrodes and cracks |
Leaks attack ordinary polymers; chemical resistance matters |
High voltage (400V–800V+) |
Arc flash, dielectric breakdown |
800V platforms double down on insulation requirements |
Vibration and abrasion |
Chafing exposes copper |
Automotive duty cycles never stop moving |
Compliance |
Product blocked at customs |
UL94, ROHS, REACH are gatekeepers for export markets |
Insulation is a small line item on the BOM. It is also the part that decides whether a warranty claim stays in the pack or becomes a recall.
Cables leaving the cell modules carry full pack voltage a few centimeters from grounded structure. Chengrun's SFT series silicone fiberglass fireproof sleeving and silicone rubber fiberglass sleeving are common choices here: high dielectric strength, flexible enough to route around modules, rated for sustained heat. PTFE heat shrink tubing finishes the connection points.
Fireproof fiberglass sleeving and flame-retardant braided mesh wrap the critical cables between cells. Specified to UL94 V-0 where the application demands it, they act as a containment layer: if a cell vents, the flame path around the harness is slowed, giving the BMS time to react.
BMS boards route dozens of thin signal lines in tight spaces. PET flame-retardant braided sleeving and thin-wall heat shrink protect them without adding bulk. Assemblies stay compact, serviceable, and easy to route.
Utility-scale racks pack hundreds of cables into confined bays. PA/PP corrugated conduit and braided mesh organize the looms and take the abrasion; specialty tapes secure terminations where technicians reach in repeatedly.
These are the exposed spots. PTFE heat shrink tubing and PTFE tapes carry the highest thermal and chemical resistance in the range, and they hold up where standard materials fail.
Application |
Recommended Products |
Key Benefits |
High-voltage pack wiring |
Silicone fiberglass fireproof sleeving (SFT series) |
High-temp insulation, dielectric strength |
Thermal runaway containment |
Fireproof fiberglass sleeving, flame-retardant braided mesh |
UL94 V-0 performance options, fire containment |
BMS / sensor lines |
PET flame-retardant braided sleeving, thin-wall heat shrink |
Compact, flexible, precise fit |
ESS cabinet & container |
PA/PP corrugated conduit, braided mesh sleeving, specialty tapes |
Abrasion resistance, cable organization |
Connectors & busbars |
PTFE heat shrink tubing, PTFE tapes |
Extreme heat & chemical resistance |
Cable sealing & termination |
Heat shrink tubing (PTFE & standard) |
Moisture sealing, durable insulation |
Chengrun is the source factory, not a trader. Quality is controlled from raw material to finished roll, and every batch is traceable. For customers documenting compliance for their own end customers, that traceability is usually the deciding factor.
Battery and storage customers include Daqin New Energy and Jinzhao Era; automotive lines supply BYD, Geely and Changan.
Every pack is different. Send your harness drawings, operating temperatures and compliance targets to [WhatsApp]. An engineer, not a sales bot, will reply within 24 hours with a product recommendation, and samples shipped for validation.
Written by the Chengrun engineering team, Dongguan, China. [mailto:[email protected]]