Cambridge EnerTech’s

Battery Engineering Symposium

Building Better Batteries

20-21 June 2023



Battery engineering involves the important aspects of designing electrodes and cells that will take maximum advantage of the active materials, designing packs that will guarantee reliable cell performance, and integrating battery packs into vehicles (or other machines) and meeting vehicle constraints while ensuring safety, reliability, and durability. Cell design, including the choice of non-active components has a considerable impact on battery performance and reliability. Battery pack design and integration presents thermal, mechanical, and electrical engineering challenges, almost independent of cell chemistry. Optimizing cell and pack design according to the duty cycle of the application requires a careful balance between cell and pack energy, power, manufacturability, abuse tolerance, thermal characteristics, and cost.

Tuesday, 20 June

Registration and Morning Coffee07:30

Organizer's Remarks08:30

Victoria Mosolgo, Conference Producer, Cambridge EnerTech

SAFETY & REGULATIONS

08:35

Chairperson's Remarks

Andreas Pfrang, Scientific Officer, Joint Research Center, European Commission

08:40

Performance and Safety Requirements in the New Battery Regulation

Andreas Pfrang, Scientific Officer, Joint Research Center, European Commission

The new Batteries Regulation will limit EU sales to sufficiently sustainable batteries. For this purpose, the regulation covers the entire battery life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials, to industrial production, to end-of-life disposal. The European Commission's Joint Research Centre supports the development of the related requirements or test procedures scientifically. In this presentation, requirements related to performance and safety will be presented and discussed from a technical perspective.

09:00

Bio-Based Barriers for the Prevention of Thermal Runaway Propagation in High-Energetic Lithium-ion Battery Packs

Bruno Bausch, PhD, Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW

Due to the constant increase in energy density of lithium-ion batteries, safety concerns in case of a thermal runaway event become more critical. Thermal runaway propagation (TP) can destroy an entire LIB pack, rapidly releasing energy. A solution for TP that minimally affects the pack remains one of the main unsolved safety-related issues in battery systems. This presentation proposes an eco-friendly barrier that prevents thermal propagation between 50Ah LIB cells.

09:20

Mechanical Properties of Real Aged Li-Ion Batteries

Gregor Gstrein, PhD, Project Senior Scientist, Graz University of Technology

Aged Li-ion pouch cells from a recent EV were subjected to a mechanical deformation. In comparison with respective fresh cells, they showed a more critical safety relevant behaviour-failure, and subsequent internal short-circuit at a lower deformation level and lower force. In order to identify the component that is mainly responsible for the altered cell behaviour, further coupon tests and microscopic analysis were carried out.
09:40 MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Andreas Pfrang, Scientific Officer, Joint Research Center, European Commission

PANELISTS:

Gregor Gstrein, PhD, Project Senior Scientist, Graz University of Technology

Bruno Bausch, PhD, Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research, ZSW

Grand Opening Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing10:00

10:50

Physics-Informed Features for Tuning Predictive Simulations of Battery Remaining Useful Life

Anna G. Stefanopoulou, PhD, William Clay Ford Professor of Technology, Professor Mechanical Engineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Michigan

Reducing the testing time in laboratory settings for health checks during aging tests (lab cycling campaigns and manufacturing quality control tests) reduces cost (labor, data, equipment, test time). Cell expansion provides “aging wrinkles” that are distinctly identifiable and strongly correlate to degradation mechanisms under various stress factors such as temperature, charging rate, and depth of discharge. The second derivative of expansion versus charge exhibits a global correlation to degradation. It hence can be used to either tune degradation models or to extrapolate and predict remaining useful life (RUL).

11:10

Efficient Cell Aging Characterization

Helmut Grassberger, Application Engineer, AVL List

State-of-the-art cell aging characterization typically takes around 1.5 years and requires at least 40 cells. The current approach is using Design-of-Experiments (DoE), applying one current profile per cell from Beginning-of-Life (BoL) until End-of-Life (EoL). The presented approach suggests pre-aging of cells and changing current profiles per cell with an advanced DoE approach to reduce the time needed by ~60% and the number of cells needed by ~30%, with the same result quality as the aging model.

11:30 Streamlining Battery Data Analytics through Advanced Battery Cyclers

Andy Lozowski, PhD, New Product Development, New Product Development, Bitrode Corporation

Battery data analytics is the cornerstone of the development and cycle life of any battery energy storage system as it can facilitate important stages such as cell characterization, modeling, and battery management system design and implementation. In this presentation, we will introduce Bitrode Digital Cycler (BTDC), the next generation of battery cyclers and discuss how it is designed to streamline and expedite battery data analytics and the overall battery development process. 

11:50 MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Andreas Pfrang, Scientific Officer, Joint Research Center, European Commission

PANELISTS:

Anna G. Stefanopoulou, PhD, William Clay Ford Professor of Technology, Professor Mechanical Engineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Michigan

Helmut Grassberger, Application Engineer, AVL List

Andy Lozowski, PhD, New Product Development Fellow, New Product Development, Bitrode Corporate

Networking Lunch12:10

Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing13:10

CELL DESIGN

13:40

Chairperson's Remark's

Tim Holme, PhD, CTO, QuantumScape Battery Corporation

13:45

Cell Design on Target – Maximum Performance at Optimal Cost in Minimal Time

Michael Schoenleber, Co-Founder & CTO, Batemo GmbH

In this talk, we will present a digital cell design approach, which does not start the cell design process from scratch, but from the physical model of an existing cell, where all electrochemical and geometrical properties are correctly digitally represented. From that point of very low model uncertainty but at the same time realistic level of complexity, cell design parameters can be systematically changed and their sensitivity on different cell performance indicators like capacity, peak power, or fast-charging capability can be studied.

14:05

A Battery Diagnosis and Prognosis System for eVTOL Aircraft Battery Pack

Anup Barai, Associate Professor, Energy & Electrical Systems Group, University of Warwick

The automotive BMS is perceived to be the best-in-class. This is due to the high volume, which enables the exploitation of the latest technology and commercial advantages. Yet, the diagnostic and prognostic capabilities implemented are limited. For electric aircraft, the fundamental premise of safety, plus the need to monitor, identify and isolate or mitigate battery failure is different. However, the tightly regulated aircraft usage case opens a few novel approaches to realise a comprehensive diagnostic and prognostic system. At WMG, in collaboration with aerospace OEMs, we are developing a battery functional safety diagnostic and prognostic system.

14:25

Leading the Charge: How Solid-State Battery Technology will Accelerate the Clean Energy Transition

Tim Holme, PhD, CTO, QuantumScape Battery Corporation

Conventional lithium-ion batteries fail to meet the needs of the automotive sector in key areas like range and charge time. Solid-state lithium-metal battery technology is designed to overcome these limitations with the potential to charge faster, last longer on a single charge, be safer, and have a longer useful life compared to conventional lithium-ion batteries. During this talk, QuantumScape Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Tim Holme, will delve into the promise of the solid-state lithium-metal battery cell design. Specifically, Tim will show performance of the QuantumScape cell design at low pressure and high discharge rate


14:45 MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Tim Holme, PhD, CTO, QuantumScape Battery Corporation

PANELISTS:

Michael Schoenleber, Co-Founder & CTO, Batemo GmbH

Anup Barai, Associate Professor, Energy & Electrical Systems Group, University of Warwick

Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing15:05

15:30

Increasing Battery Systems Performance

Kevin Konecky, Battery and Energy Storage Systems Consultant, Total Battery Consulting

Battery systems are complex systems with the battery cell as the core technology of the system but then integrated with multiple subsystems, including mechanical, thermal, and battery management systems (BMS). This presentation will look into the different subsystems that contribute to the overall battery system performance and opportunities for improvement in next-generation battery systems. Battery system trends in the industry will be evaluated and discussed.

15:50

Overcharging – Fast Charging

Yatish Patel, PhD, Research Associate Mechanics of Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London

A novel parametrisation testing technique is presented. It's then parametrised using this testing technique and compared to a model parametrised using current common testing techniques. This comparison is conducted using a WLTP (worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure) drive cycle. As part of the validation, the experiments were conducted at different temperatures and repeated using two different temperature control methods: a climate chamber and a Peltier element temperature control method.

16:10 MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Tim Holme, PhD, CTO, QuantumScape Battery Corporation

PANELISTS:

Kevin Konecky, Battery and Energy Storage Systems Consultant, Total Battery Consulting

Yatish Patel, PhD, Research Associate Mechanics of Materials, Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London

INTERACTIVE BREAKOUT DISCUSSIONS

16:50Transition to Breakout Discussions
17:00Interactive Breakout Discussions

Interactive Breakout Discussions are informal, moderated discussions with brainstorming and interactive problem-solving, allowing participants from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and experiences and develop future collaborations around a focused topic.

TABLE 1: Innovations in Recycling Battery Materials & Second Life
Moderator: Steve Sloop, PhD, President, OnTo Technology LLC

TABLE 2: Li-ion NMC Fast Charging New Cells for E-Mobility
Moderator: Shmuel De-Leon, CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy Ltd.

TABLE 3: Battery Pack System Cost and Safety – Will Future xEV Battery Packs Increase in Complexity or Simplify and How Will Cost and Safety Be Impacted?
Moderator: Kevin Konecky, Battery and Energy Storage Systems Consultant, Total Battery Consulting

TABLE 4: Battery Raw Materials Supply Chain
Moderator: Tom Van Bellinghen, Vice President, Marketing & OEM Value Chain, Rechargeable Battery Materials, Umicore

TABLE 5: Cell Design and Maximizing Performance at Optimal Cost in Minimal Time
Moderator: Michael Schoenleber, Co-Founder & CTO, Batemo GmbH

TABLE 6: Benefits of Wireless Communication Technology in Battery Management Systems
Moderator: Stefan Goede, Head of Research & Development, Co-Founder, Munich Electrification GmbH

TABLE 7: Opportunities and Potential for New Battery Technologies
Moderator: Ines Miller, Team Lead Battery Cells, E Mobility, P3 Automotive GmbH

TABLE 8: Battery CO2 Footprint Legislation – What Does That Mean for the Supply Chain?
Moderator: Wenzel Prochazka, PhD, Senior Product Manager Electrification Systems, NXP Semiconductors Austria GmbH

TABLE 9: Advances in Sodium-ion Battery Materials
Moderator: Philipp Adelhelm, PhD, Professor, Institute of Chemistry, Humboldt-University Berlin

TABLE 10: Silicon Anodes and Cells
Moderator: Martin Sandor, Senior Director of Marketing, Enevate

Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)18:00

Close of Day19:00

Wednesday, 21 June

Registration and Morning Coffee08:00

BATTERY SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

08:45

Chairpersons Remarks

Stefan Goede, CTO, Co-Founder, Munich Electrification GmbH

08:50 Battery Trends in the EU – What Does that Mean for Sustainable BMS Building Blocks?

Wenzel Prochazka, PhD, Senior Product Manager Electrification Systems, Advanced Analog, NXP Semiconductors Austria GmbH

The trend towards energy efficient and sustainable batteries continues to gain speed, as electric vehicles are becoming a core product for global OEMs. In the EU the Battery Regulation is outlinging a roadmap to becoming sustainable that not only drives technical innovation in battery design, but also sets a strong focus on sustainability and secure product information handling for generating a stable value to the battery on the used market

09:10

The Crucial Role of Battery System Integration

Vaneet Kumar, Vice President, European R&D Center, SVOLT Energy Technology Europe GmbH

SVOLT is driving the future growth of automotive batteries through innovation, a robust supply chain, technology-enabled, and scale-up production. SVOLT likes to share views on the integration of digital technologies to improve battery design.

09:30

Understanding, Modelling, Validating, and Predicting Lithium-ion Battery Degradation

Gregory J. Offer, PhD, Professor in Electrochemical Engineering, Imperial College London

Professor Gregory Offer will present the research his group have done over the past ten years in understanding lithium-ion battery degradation, how to model it, and how close those models are getting to usefully predict lifetime. Greg will describe their efforts to model lithium plating, SEI layer growth, positive electrode (cathode) decomposition, unequal degradation in silicon carbon composite electrodes, particle cracking, electrolyte consumption and cell dry-out, and how multiple degradation mechanisms are coupled with each other and contribute towards accelerated degradation (the knee point/cliff-edge/etc).

09:50

Performance Optimization for Battery Cell, Module, and Pack Testing

Gerald Sammer, PhD, Principal Business Development Manager, Integrated & Open Development Platform, AVL List GmbH

How can the time-to-market of new batteries and electrical vehicles be shortened? Testing hundreds or thousands of batteries and cells simultaneously in a multi-vendor lab is a huge time-consuming challenge. Efficient processes and an open toolchain for automated scheduling, monitoring, energy management, and data analytics are the key to success. In addition, virtual testing can cut development time and cost, e.g. with model-based cell aging prediction or AI-based battery fleet data modelling. This presentation explains AVL's approach on how to optimize battery development and testing with a comprehensive methodology, supported by a dedicated software solution open for any test equipment vendor.


10:10 Predictive Performance: Visualizing a Lifetime of Mechanical Loads within a Battery Module

John Williams, Vice President, Technical Services, Aspen Aerogels

The power of visualization can transform module design and the strategy for mitigating thermal propagation. Aspen Aerogels has developed a kinematic model to help battery engineers better understand how cells and cell-to-cell barriers interact mechanically from beginning-of-life (BOL) to end-of-life (EOL). This presentation will cover thermal and mechanical considerations, and cover the use of Monte Carlo simulations to understand tolerance stacks. 

10:30 MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Stefan Goede, CTO, Co-Founder, Munich Electrification GmbH

PANELISTS:

Vaneet Kumar, Vice President, European R&D Center, SVOLT Energy Technology Europe GmbH

Gregory J. Offer, PhD, Professor in Electrochemical Engineering, Imperial College London

Gerald Sammer, PhD, Principal Business Development Manager, Integrated & Open Development Platform, AVL List GmbH

John Williams, Vice President, Technical Services, Aspen Aerogels

Wenzel Prochazka, PhD, Senior Product Manager Electrification Systems, Advanced Analog, NXP Semiconductors Austria GmbH

Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing (Sponsorship Opportunity Available)10:50

11:20

Next-Generation Intelligent Battery Management System with Enhanced Safety for Transportation Electrification

Sheldon Williamson, PhD, Professor & Canada Research Chair, Electrical & Computer & Software Engineering, University of Ontario Institute of Technology

With the increasing incidence of fire and catastrophic failure of electric vehicles, the necessity of an advanced battery management system and safety framework became crucial. The talk will focus on the importance of intelligent state estimation and control in lithium-ion battery management systems for transportation electrification applications. The current issues and challenges will be also discussed to highlight the scope of future research and development.

11:40

Benefits of Wireless Communication Technology in Battery Management Systems

Stefan Goede, CTO, Co-Founder, Munich Electrification GmbH

The topic of wireless communication within battery management systems has gained traction in recent years. Several battery and vehicle makers have announced the successful implementation of wireless communication within their battery packs. This talk covers the requirements, technology, benefits, and challenges of wireless communication systems within battery packs.

12:00 SafeCore - An Internal Fuse to Help Prevent Thermal Runaway

Dan Squiller, CEO, Amionx

SafeCore is a material that is coated on the current collector of the battery which acts like a fuse when current, temperature or voltage thresholds are reached. SafeCore was developed for a project with the U.S. military where a battery pack a soldier would wear was able to sustain a direct hit from a bullet without going into thermal runaway. SafeCore is effective in protecting against both internal short and overcharge.

12:20 MODERATED Q&A:

Session Wrap-Up

PANEL MODERATOR:

Stefan Goede, CTO, Co-Founder, Munich Electrification GmbH

PANELISTS:

Dan Squiller, CEO, Amionx

Networking Lunch12:40

Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing14:00

Close of Symposium14:30






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MONDAY 23 JUNE

Pre-Conference Tutorials

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
24-25 JUNE

CHEMISTRY - PART 1

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY
25-26 JUNE

CHEMISTRY - PART 2

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