Considering energy efficiency, energy density and environmental concerns, IAV combined complementary sodium-ion and solid-state lithium iron phosphate battery technologies in a twin-battery system optimised and validated with multiphysics simulation that opens up new possibilities for car manufacturers and battery designers.
Avoiding the rare raw materials required for the production of traditional batteries without sacrificing energy density is a major goal for those looking to electrify the world. Lithium-ion batteries power most of today's electric vehicles (EVs)1 but are associated with high costs as well as sustainability and environmental concerns. Engineers and developers in the battery industry are investigating alternative chemistries and designs to find new approaches that address these concerns and reduce costs while fulfilling the demands of most lithium-ion applications.
IAV is one of the world's largest engineering companies. Within an extensive portfolio geared toward the future of mobility, battery development plays a critical role. A team of IAV engineers including Jakob Hilgert, a technical consultant at the company, felt that, with the right approach, IAV could achieve better battery designs. The team leaned on its understanding of what makes existing single-chemistry designs successful — as well as what holds each back — to develop a novel approach to solving battery energy density, sustainability and thermal management issues: a twin-battery design.
Instead of turning solely to lithium-ion cells, IAV engineers thought a pair of alternative battery chemistries could be combined to form a less expensive and more ecofriendly system that could handle EV applications. With this approach in mind, IAV turned to multiphysicssimulation to successfully design and validate its twin-battery solution.
Avoiding Lithium-Ion Battery Pain Points
While lithium-ion batteries (Figure 1) are often used for their high energy density, their creation can have environmental drawbacks. Open-pit mining for lithium removes vegetation, creates toxic soil and releases dust that elevates the risk of illness in animals and people. Producing these batteries is also an expensive prospect and reliant on a relatively rare material. IAV engineers looked to avoid these concerns when choosing the technologies to be included in their twin-battery approach.
Continue reading the full story
