Today’s conventional lithium-ion batteries fall short of meeting the needs of many automotive, consumer electronics, and stationary storage applications. Many believe that the unique cell design of solid-state lithium-metal batteries will help bridge this gap – particularly when it comes to electric vehicles – because the technology is designed to enable longer range, faster charging and enhanced safety compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Tracking cell-level statistical distributions in EV batteries is crucial for consistent performance, optimized range, and long-term reliability. This presentation will explore how variability among individual cells, driven by manufacturing tolerances, impacts pack-level prediction accuracy. The session will cover testing methods to improve range and power estimations, highlight the importance of monitoring inconsistencies, and emphasize the role of automotive testing in refining tolerances for reliable and durable EV performance.

Nissan have announced mid. term plan “The Arc” in March 2024. We have a plan to launch 16 new electrified models by 2026.In this report, we show our battery roadmap based on our experience and analysis of x-EV models.

Fast-charging can readily lead to early cell failure and reduced performance. The ability to use cell parameters for the development of advanced charge protocols provides an opportunity to tailor both the time and energy accepted to specific needs while minimizing degradation. During this talk, advanced protocols and analysis, including the use of machine learning to identify failure modes and predict performance, will be discussed.

Highly accurate and highly confident estimates of state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) are crucial prerequisites to maximizing the performance and safety achieved from a battery pack. These are not directly measurable, so algorithms of varying complexity and computation cost are employed to provide estimates of their values. Required inputs to the algorithms are measurements of voltage, current, and temperature, which are characterized by precision, accuracy, and synchronicity. This talk provides an evaluation of the impact on performance of SOC and SOH estimation based on the integrity of sensor measurements through execution of model-based simulation. 

Physics-based models (PBMs) of lithium-ion batteries, unlike empirical circuit-based models, harbor essential information that can be exploited by advanced battery management systems to push performance and lifetime close to theoretical limits. However, due mainly to their complexity, PBMs have been slow to appear in implementation. This presentation describes key obstacles to using PBMs for battery management, highlights some perspectives for overcoming these, and points the way toward future improvements.

The talk will explore advancements in battery performance under low temperatures, focusing on challenges, solutions, and innovations to enhance cold weather reliability and efficiency.

This presentation discusses strategies and technologies for efficiently cooling battery packs, addressing thermal management challenges to enhance performance, longevity, and safety in various applications. New requirements on coolant properties for indirect and immersion cooling of battery packs, e.g., cleanliness and electric conductivity are explained and solutions for the removal of particles, water and ions from coolants are highlighted which enable longer coolant service life.

This study aims to explore the efficacy of water and aerosol-based suppressants in suppressing lithium-ion battery fires. Experiments were conducted in a test setup representative of stationary grid energy storage application using commercial lithium-ion battery modules. Single and multi-module tests were conducted in a 20-ft shipping container. Thermal runaway was initiated by overcharging a module. Various measurements that included temperature, heat flux, particulate and gaseous emissions were conducted. Results of this study provide insight into fire suppression strategies and critical information on potential hazards that first responders may encounter while dealing with large-scale lithium-ion battery fires.

Safety hazard issue is a weakness of state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries (LIB), EVs, and ESS. Replacement of highly flammable LIB electrolyte with a nonflammable liquid electrolyte is a critical step to reduce or prevent the risk of thermal runaway (TR). The SEI (interface) stabilization technology on graphite-based anode is a must for dendrites-free LIBs. I will present that well-designed nonflammable liquid electrolyte enables TR suppression and long-cycled LIBs.

This talk delves into the degradation and aging mechanisms of lithium-ion batteries, examining key challenges such as capacity fade and impedance growth. It explores mitigation strategies including advanced materials, innovative designs, and operational optimizations to extend battery lifespan and enhance performance reliability.

Battery management systems are a decisive factor for successful and fast development of batteries. Especially in recent times, increasing cost pressure and fierce competition require OEMs to manage their BMS software complexity. Efficiently handling the growing number of variants with platform approaches becomes a vital factor. This talk presents a view on future BMS architectures. The smart edge BMS concept is introduced and compared to other common architectures: Smart Edge BMS concept, the BMS as Smart Sensor, and SW Architectures of BMS.

Aerogels are a lightweight insulation material gaining increasing interest for battery thermal management. Aerogels' uniquely low thermal conductivity and density enables pack designers to manage thermal runaway while adding minimal weight and volume to the overall pack design. Despite these advantages, challenges in scalable and low-cost manufacturing have limited adoption to high-value applications. This presentation focuses on breakthroughs in manufacturing and application of aerogels in EV battery thermal management. The current state of aerogels in EV battery pack protection, supply chain challenges and cost considerations, material parameters and future designs, and novel manufacturing breakthroughs.

Battery current collectors used to be off-the-shelf rolls of metal foil. Now they are getting lighter (down to 4 microns), getting more conductive (thanks to carbon priming), and getting more dimensional (3D topographies). This talk will explore the evolution of current collectors from dumb solid sheets of metal to intelligent and efficient highways for electrons.

This talk will cover exciting new results from Stratus Materials showing the performance of our next generation of cathode active materials. We will show how enhanced processing innovations result in materials approaching or exceeding 1000 Wh/kg that have excellent performance in a range of use cases. We will also explore the pack-level advantages of using this material using both safety and techno-economic assessments; pack-level energy densities that far exceed those of packs that use LFP and NMC cells are possible due to the energy densities and thermal performance attained.

Sandia National Laboratories aims to create a comprehensive safety framework for next-generation batteries, integrating material testing, mechanistic modeling, and safety assessments. This approach will mitigate risks, streamline design, and establish safety criteria crucial for advancing battery technology.