Simulation App Speeds Up Electric Truck Battery Design
This article is brought to you by COMSOL . These days, no one blinks an eye at two-day, one-day, and even same-day package deliveries. Despite the plethora of localized fulfillment and distributi on centers that have cropped up to meet the demand, delivery trucks still need to make considerably long drives, often over highways. To reduce fuel and maintenance costs as well as carbon emissions,…
This article, sourced from COMSOL, discusses a simulation app that helps streamline the design of electric truck battery packs. Companies are shifting towards electric trucks to reduce fuel and maintenance costs, but battery packs often struggle to meet the lifetime requirements for long-distance highway travel. A consortium of universities and industry partners have developed a custom simulation app to test battery lifetime performance, which was built by Resolvent, an engineering consultancy specializing in green energy.
The app, called "LaserBATMAN," is designed to optimize battery manufacturing processes, focusing on two key performance metrics: robustness and lifetime. The project aimed to improve laser welding efficiency, as it significantly impacts battery life, but incorrect welding can increase the risk of degradation. The Resolvent team used COMSOL Multiphysics software to study how laser welding affects battery cells, incorporating electrochemistry and degradation modeling.
The app allows users to input dimensions for the pack geometry, the number of cells, and operating conditions, such as ambient temperature and charge-discharge current profiles. It also features a Busbar Weld Design Tool button for efficiently calculating busbar weld performance after various cycles. Users can then assess the battery's temperature, state of charge, and solid-electrolyte interface layer thickness to optimize design and performance.
Written by urgent.news from IEEE Spectrum's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
