Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ALBATROSS (Advanced Light-weight BATteRy systems Optimized for fast charging, Safety, and Second-life applications.)
Reporting period: 2022-07-01 to 2023-12-31
Policymakers and EU vehicle manufacturers are under strict mandate to meet climate targets, reduce emissions and improve overall EU standards of living with improved air quality in cities and reduced road noise. The ALBATROSS project will address these factors, thereby reducing driver range anxiety, with lightweight battery packs for increased range and substantially improved rapid charging capacity. As vehicle manufacturers look to extract the maximum possible energy and durability from battery packs and recharge them as quickly and safely as possible, these issues become more critical. The ALBATROSS battery pack will make a positive impact on society with the integration of EVs with smart grids, bringing a positive behavioural change in society’s acceptance of EVs as a primary method of transportation and overall improved safety. With the extended driving range and an intelligent BMS of the ALBATROSS system, the range of an EV can increase hundreds of kilometres over past BEVs. Drivers will be able to realise a full 700–1000 km trip in one day in just two 20-minute fast charges – without extra degradation of the battery – which allows the driver to take a short meal or rest break during the 20-minute charge and not feel anxious about the need and length of the charge. The project will develop and mature technologies that significantly improve EV range by increasing battery energy density while improving thermal and battery management systems to enable fast-charging rates and extended battery life. Improved designs of the battery modules and pack integration with attention to second-life applications and materials recycling will be cornerstones of achieving the impacts.
Obj 1-To achieve a 20% weight reduction of the battery system.
Obj 2-To develop solutions & processes for sustainable dismantling/recycling of battery packs/ modules (materials, components and sub-systems) taking into account safety and automation.
Obj 3-To create flexible advanced battery management systems (BMS) capable of being used on different types of packs and mid-sized vehicles with different use patterns, and underlying provisions to be used in second-life applications.
Obj 4-To create advanced functionalities of BMS to enable control of modules and packs and their remote maintenance and troubleshooting, software updating and other functions, taking into account safety and modularity aspects at increased battery pack energy density as well as health and environmental aspects over the lifecycle including cases of failure, and reuse/recycling.
Obj 5-To develop systems compatible with high-power ultra-fast charging and related implications, including high and low-temperature charging, insulation, and advanced models for monitoring thermal state and estimation of application-dependant State of Health
Obj 6–To develop and qualification of future performance-related test procedures of developed functionalities under real-world conditions, incl. extreme environmental conditions.
Obj 7–To validate battery performance functionalities at full scale should demonstrate this through pack integration into an existing vehicle to serve as a benchmark of achieved performance.
Obj 8–to develop and quantify future safety-related test procedures e.g. venting/management of gases, battery failure warning signals, thermal propagation.
Obj 1-To achieve a 20% weight reduction of the battery system.
Obj 2-To develop solutions & processes for sustainable dismantling/recycling of battery packs/ modules (materials, components and sub-systems) taking into account safety and automation.
Obj 3-To create flexible advanced battery management systems (BMS) capable of being used on different types of packs and mid-sized vehicles with different use patterns, and underlying provisions to be used in second-life applications.
Obj 4-To create advanced functionalities of BMS to enable control of modules and packs and their remote maintenance and troubleshooting, software updating and other functions, taking into account safety and modularity aspects at increased battery pack energy density as well as health and environmental aspects over the lifecycle including cases of failure, and reuse/recycling.
Obj 5-To develop systems compatible with high-power ultra-fast charging and related implications, including high and low-temperature charging, insulation, and advanced models for monitoring thermal state and estimation of application-dependant State of Health
Obj 6–To develop and qualification of future performance-related test procedures of developed functionalities under real-world conditions, incl. extreme environmental conditions.
Obj 7–To validate battery performance functionalities at full scale should demonstrate this through pack integration into an existing vehicle to serve as a benchmark of achieved performance.
Obj 8–to develop and quantify future safety-related test procedures e.g. venting/management of gases, battery failure warning signals, thermal propagation.
For the Thermal, Electrical and Mechanical Integration, the main concept of cooling channels embedded in the modules has not been changed. To transfer the heat from the battery to the fluid and thus maintain a suitable cell temperature, the design of the partial immersion was simulated and thermal analyses of the fluid and battery were performed. Different arrangements of series and parallel flow of fluid through the batteries were investigated, after which it was concluded that the best arrangement in terms of heat and pressure drop was identified. In terms of electrical integration, the partners worked on the Control Monitoring Unit (CMU) integration on battery modules taking into account several requirements. The mechanical integration of the Secondary Control Unit (SCU) remained unchanged since the preliminary design freeze. Along with the SCU, the sensor foil is attached to every module and is weaved through the cells to get the best temperature sensing and heating effects. The position has not changed with regard to the preliminary design freeze and a mechanical prototype of the sensors has been integrated in a scaled-down prototype of the battery module. Finally, regarding the mechanical integration, the sub-modules were joined to the tray in two different ways. They were joined with clips at the bottom of the sub-module that snap to the rails at the bottom of the tray. For additional strength and to join the modules in the correct place along the length of the battery tray, a connection to the flange was also performed. To enable this, the geometry of the side beam has been adapted. This assembly was designed to allow submodules to be easily installed and fixed by ensuring that the mountings include a slot that is wide enough to allow for the insertion of the submodules and access to tools. For the welding of busbars to battery cells, TWI has developed a specialized machine equipped with a 2-kW fiber laser and a galvano scanner, which is mounted on a robot arm. This machine will be utilized during the sub-module assembly process. Welding procedure development tests were carried out on coupons to validate the success of welding both Ni-plated and DLIP-textured copper to Hilumin steel, which simulates the material combinations between the busbars and the cell tabs. These trials also examined the tolerance to stand-off distance (i.e. laser focus position), given that it may be difficult to maintain the process within a tight tolerance when the ALBATROSS moves to the phase of producing many hundreds of welded connections in the modules themselves.
The developments generated in ALBATROSS are generating a lot of interest from different groups of external stakeholders, which is expected to contribute to the future commercial and industrial exploitation of the results generated through the project. To this, it also contributed to the different IP generated, including the patents & patent requests issued during this period. According to the class of stakeholders reached, an important contribution is also produced in raising awareness for the benefits of electric mobility. The collaboration with other related European projects largely extends the visibility of the project and its developments. The Network Patent Analysis supports the identification of competitor technologies and market opportunities for the new technologies developed within the project, to ensure their full exploitation. The training being developed in the topics related to ALBATROSS will support not only the industrial tissue involved in the project, as well as linked companies to define and accomplish their strategies. The latter is stimulated by the external events planned which will have a broader audience due to the transversality of the involved topics. The standardization activities are expected to contribute to the update of standards from the field of electric vehicles and equipment, and the close compliance with standards will ensure that the results of ALBATROSS are ready to be industrially implemented and exploited.