HUBER+SUHNER RADOX Technology Offers Alternative to Corrugated HV Cables

HUBER+SUHNER has introduced RADOX® high voltage cables as a potential replacement for traditional corrugated tube solutions in electric vehicle architectures. The company states that this technology addresses weight and thermal management challenges associated with conventional EV harnessing.

What Happened

Corrugated tubes, currently used to shield EV cables from abrasion and moisture, can add 20-60% to the total weight of a cable assembly depending on the application. These tubes also trap heat, restricting dissipation and leading to higher power losses that accelerate cable aging. HUBER+SUHNER notes that RADOX® cables utilize electron-beam cross-linked insulation and jacketing materials capable of supporting continuous operating temperatures up to 150°C. This design provides resistance to abrasion, fluids, and high temperatures, often allowing cables to be routed in free air without additional corrugated tubing.

Why It Matters

As Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) push for lighter and more compact vehicle architectures to maximize driving range, the limitations of corrugated tubes become more significant. The Arrhenius Rule suggests that a 10°C increase in temperature can approximately halve insulation life, highlighting the durability benefits of improved heat dissipation. By enabling engineers to replace a conventional 95 mm² cable in a corrugated tube with a 70 mm² RADOX® cable while maintaining equivalent ampacity and safety performance, the technology offers packaging opportunities and design flexibility that could support more efficient vehicle architectures.

The Bottom Line

RADOX® technology presents a viable alternative to corrugated tubes for EV high voltage cables, offering weight reduction and improved thermal performance. The shift to free-air routing and smaller cable sizes may help OEMs meet efficiency and design goals as they continue to optimize vehicle architectures.