PEM Enables Faster Development of Structural Battery Systems
The Chair of Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) of RWTH Aachen University has successfully completed the “PEAk-Bat” research project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, which aims to reduce the cost and time involved in battery production. During the three-and-a-half-year project, the researchers alongside renowned industry partners such as Ford and Trumpf worked on developing structural battery systems and on reducing their production costs for earlier market entry.
To this end, the researchers built ten vehicle bodies with an integrated structural battery system and had them tested by project partners TÜV Rheinland and Magna. The team also designed several simulation models and successfully validated them through testing. According to PEM, the developed “module-to-chassis” design concept for structural battery systems led to an increase in volumetric energy density of more than ten percent and an increase in gravimetric energy density of more than 15 percent.
Time saved on testing allows for faster development of innovative battery systems and, as a result, earlier market launch.
PEM Director Professor Achim Kampker, says:
Early validation of battery systems using artificial intelligence helps to reduce critical errors in the production process and lower the costs of prototypes,
The researchers claim their approaches to virtual validation significantly reduce the number of battery tests previously required in the development process. “The time saved on testing allows for faster development of innovative battery systems and, as a result, earlier market launch,” states PEM Management Member Professor Heiner Heimes.
Key guidelines in the field of battery safety
The consortium’s goal was to increase both mass-related and spatial energy density of batteries in the future. During the project, key guidelines and findings in the field of battery safety were also developed and published as a “Methodology for Analyzing Changes to Battery Systems and Evaluating the Resulting Testing Requirements.”
READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market
PEM Enables Faster Development of Structural Battery Systems, source
