WDK highlights key role of rubber products in mobility, transport

Frankfurt, Germany – The German Rubber Industry Association (WDK) has highlighted the role of rubber products in enabling road transport, saying components such as fuel hoses and charging cables are essential for transferring energy to vehicles regardless of the propulsion technology used.

As part of its "Rubber – We Save the World" campaign, the association said rubber products are required across all major energy sources used in transport, including gasoline, diesel, electricity, e-fuels, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and hydrogen.

"Liquid or gaseous fuels are transferred into vehicle tanks through fuel hoses. Electric vehicles are supplied with electricity via charging cables," said Volker Krings, chief chemist at the WDK 4 June.

"In both cases, rubber components ensure that energy can be transferred safely, reliably and conveniently."

According to the association, fuel hoses must provide long-term resistance to fuels, hydrogen and other media, while charging cables must remain flexible, withstand mechanical stress and meet strict safety requirements.

The products must also deliver abrasion resistance, pressure resistance, weather resistance and reliable performance across a wide temperature range.

While people think first of engines, batteries or fuels when it comes to mobility, Krings said, "without rubber products, neither refuelling nor charging would be possible."

He added that rubber products make "an indispensable contribution behind the scenes to ensuring that mobility functions at all."

The WDK said rubber products are widely used throughout everyday life and industry, with their contribution to vehicle charging and refuelling representing one example of their role in modern mobility.