NXP is working on a project to upgrade electric-vehicle battery performance, safety and lifecycle sustainability to help address the projected fast-growing demands of the EV marketplace.
The world has ambitious expectations for EV adoption over the next decade. In the EU, sales are expected to approach 50% of total vehicles sold. According to this study, auto executives in the US say that similar targets are within reach, and manufacturers in China see a market penetration rate approaching 70%. All of the major challenges to these ambitious goals involve batteries, whether due to charging (infrastructure, rate of charge), range, or, in this analysis, concerns about safety (both use and reuse/disposal).
For more about the future of EVs, read this blog article about how innovative design drives electric vehicle growth.
Better batteries that address these challenges through advanced diagnostic and control features, as well as functionalities that extend range, shorten charging times and enhance safety could encourage greater user confidence and help speed up adoption.
What would the performance characteristics of a better battery include? Such attributes as:
NXP is partnering in a project called LIBERTY (lightweight battery system for extended range at improved safety) to upgrade EV battery performance, safety and lifetime, along with other European technology partners. The collaboration focuses on a novel long-range (500km) and fast-charging (< 20min, hence 800V system) battery-pack design, increased battery safety and long battery lifetime while increasing sustainability over its entire lifecycle. This is achieved using high-energy-density cells, lightweight housing materials and improved thermal system design, a versatile battery management system (BMS), designed for highly synchronized and accurate measurements of cell voltages and battery current, which enables improved (AI-based) state and predictive estimators, while fulfilling the highest functional safety standards.
Additionally, to ensure end-of-life battery packs can be dismantled efficiently and safely, LIBERTY will design a semi-automated battery dismantling procedure thereby reducing costs for recycling and reuse. Since current standards for performance and safety testing have limitations for testing of developments like the ones targeted in LIBERTY, future-proof testing protocols will be developed for standardized EV safety as well as performance testing.
Our involvement is focused on smart solutions and tools for battery sensing, diagnostics and controls. It’s being delivered by teams in NXP-Netherlands and NXP-France who are enabling accurate and cost-effective measurements capable of recognizing hidden performance issues that evolve slowly over the battery’s lifetime. Differences between cells of voltages and currents are especially important to allow better diagnostics and enriched monitoring functions, such as early detection of the appearance of small changes in self-discharge rate between cells.
“I like to call it spotting the ‘odd cell out,’ says Henk Jan Bergveld, technical director and one of NXP’s experts on the project. “The LIBERTY project is a great opportunity to work on the next generation of battery packs, especially the demands placed on the BMS electronics for this next generation. Since the project involves partners at various positions in the value chain, this enables optimizations of the system across the board, including hardware issues -- electronic, but also mechanical and thermal -- and software issues including improved diagnostics and associated state estimation functions.”
The project partners are based in Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France and Romania. It also includes Mercedes as the main OEM, as well as NXP, Infineon, Diehl, Valeo, Hutchinson, Accurec, Clepa, and knowledge institutes Fraunhofer, Ikerlan, Mondragon, Flanders Make, Bring and Virtual Vehicle.
NXP’s Public Cooperation Programs (PCP) team coordinates publicly funded innovation and R&D collaborations with academic, government, nonprofit and corporate partners. NXP’s PCP team handles all operational, financial and legal matters, allowing technical engineers to focus on the research and development. LIBERTY has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 963522.
This article reflects only the author’s view, and the Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
For more information about the LIBERTY project you can read the project kickoff press release.
Marcus Borrmann, a Public Funding Cooperative Projects Expert, plays an integral role managing NXP’s Public Cooperative Projects. Prior to joining NXP, he was a project leader and researcher in the field of Public Health and Health Studies with a special focus on assistive technologies. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Health from Medical University Vienna.
