Adhesive Converting Blog

How Converters Help Make EV Batteries More Affordable | Strouse

Written by Lee K. House | Sep 10, 2026

With fuel prices rising, battery costs are among the few remaining barriers to EV adoption. Even though lithium-ion battery packs now cost 90% less than they did 15 years ago, many businesses still struggle to assemble them cost-effectively.

Here’s why working with an adhesive converter makes a difference.

Adhesive converters, such as Strouse, manufacture EV bonding, sealing, and gasketing solutions tailored for efficient battery assembly.

This is how a reliable converting partner will help reduce costs and improve battery capacity.

3 Ways Converted Parts Reduce Electric Vehicle Battery Prices

Given the current market's uncertainty and a potential influx of lower-quality EVs, it is now more crucial than ever to design a sustainable battery model that competes on range, cost, and reliability.

Converted parts will reduce battery costs for multiple reasons.

1. QUICKER ASSEMBLY TIMES

Although spray coating and other glues may seem cheaper at first glance, they require drying. Unlike liquid adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesive gaskets bond instantly, eliminating drying time and accelerating application.

Adding tabs, crack-and-peel liners, and other converted features to certain part components, such as EV battery gaskets, can reduce assembly costs.

You might build first-generation batteries by hand, but as you develop the next gen, you move into automation, which has different requirements. Converters can also help format your product components for automation, enabling a faster, more precise production process.

2. HIGHER QUALITY AND CONSISTENCY

Battery quality is of the utmost importance when you’re building to prevent the catastrophic effects of thermal runaway.

Spraying flat, complex, and accurate shapes can be challenging and often results in overspray; die cut parts fit precise shapes and reduce application errors that can result from the messy, imprecise process of spray coating.

3. IMPROVED LIFESPAN AND RESILIENCE

Adhesive tapes often offer multiple uses beyond bonding; for this reason, die cut EV parts can improve battery life in a multitude of ways:

  • Battery Pack Gaskets and Seals — prevent water, dust, and other debris from entering the main housing
  • Dielectric Insulators — film parts that wrap around cells and/or busbars to reduce the presence of electrical arcs
  • Thermal Interface Materials — thermal gap pads draw heat from battery cells, preventing overheating
  • EMI/RFI Shielding Tapes — die cut electrically conductive foils prevent cross-signal interference from disturbing batteries or vehicle electronics
  • Anti-Corrosion Materials — certain materials, such as zinc tape, can be used in locations around a battery assembly where corrosion is possible

What Affects Electric Vehicle Battery Prices?

Consumers yearn for an affordable electric vehicle, largely in part because the taste of rolling debt has left a sour taste in their mouths. By the end of 2025, more than 29% of vehicle trade-ins had negative equity, meaning owners owed more than the vehicle was worth. To increase EV adoption, EV battery costs and driving ranges must align with market needs.

POLICY CHANGES REGARDING EV COST

Because the electric vehicle market is rapidly growing, global leaders are rigorously adjusting policies surrounding EVs to the benefit or detriment of manufacturers.

In 2025, while other countries signed policies to promote EV adoption, U.S. President Donald Trump signed the 'Big Beautiful Bill', eliminating tax breaks that had helped lower the costs of electric vehicles and EV home chargers. Earlier that same year, New Jersey’s ‘Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Management Act’ made it illegal to dispose of EV batteries in landfills to promote battery recycling.

EV BATTERY DESIGN AND MATERIALS

Your design and the overall construction play a pivotal role in the costs related to your battery. Here are some questions that you should tackle before moving to production:

  1. Is your design complex?
  2. How challenging is your material?
    1. How many materials?
    2. How many layers?
    3. How strict are your tolerances?
  3. How many steps are there in the assembly process?
  4. What are the machine requirements?
    1. What level of automaton are you seeking?

All these elements will influence battery costs, from press run speed to the required level of quality management.

QUANTITY AND CAPACITY

Despite rising material costs, the price of lithium-ion batteries has steadily declined due to increased global manufacturing capacity. In some ways, you can expect the same from your converted components—ordering larger quantities will unlock material-tier pricing discounts and spread machine setup labor costs across more products.

Build Affordable Battery Components with a Converter

Companies partner with converters for a multitude of reasons:

  1. To forgo the upfront cost of die cut machinery and training
  2. To consolidate manufacturing steps
  3. To utilize the experience and know-how required to assemble complex converting processes
  4. To make the most of existing partnerships, such as tooling and material vendors

Experienced converters will guide you through design adjustments, material sourcing, prototyping, and manufacturing to help you get the best value.

Strouse’s team will help create a high-value solution tailored to your application. We will use thorough process planning and reliable manufacturing methods to optimize your production process.

Still unsure? See the die cut EV battery solutions we offer.

 

Originally published: November 14, 2025