It makes sense that lithium ion batteries have become the power storage method of choice for hybrid and electric vehicles. They’re lightweight, can be recharged 100 percent and are relatively small for the amount of electricity they can store.
Unfortunately, the breakthrough technology has also shown to lead to overheating, and when used in cars, minor collisions have disrupted the circuitry of the batteries, resulting in fires. According to MIT News, some improvement has been made to lithium ion batteries, however many say there is ample room to enhance the technology and make it safer.
According to the news source, Tomasz Wierzbicki, an applied mechanics professor at MIT and the director of the institute’s Impact and Crashworthiness Laboratory, says he is developing a way to improve the resilience of the batteries. If the tests are successful, the products could use much less protective housing materials, lowering the weight, fuel costs and risk of fires. To accomplish this, though, Wierzbicki says he needs to get back to the basics of existing batteries, and understand their limitations.
To do this, Wierzbicki teamed up with MIT postdoc Elham Sahraei, and together they analyzed how well cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, a form of which are used in the Tesla Roadster, withstood several kinds of crashes. The experts put the batteries through front, rear and side crashes, and crunched the data to create a computer model that could forecast exactly what kind of deformation would occur from any kind of crash. The data also showed what it would take for the battery to short circuit and cause a fire.
Improving lifespan
The media outlet stated that the research showed the aluminum or steel housing that encompassed the battery’s core components had a major influence on the battery’s overall durability. If Wierzbicki and his colleagues can create a more pliable and thin shell, the safety concerns surrounding lithium ion batteries may be assuaged, he said.
The computer model could be a revolutionary new way to test existing batteries or even develop new models altogether.
“We are developing computational tools to redesign batteries so the new generation is more resilient,” Wierzbicki said. “These batteries may be able to take much higher loads without getting into the thermal runaway that everyone’s afraid of.”
According to the news source, Wierzbicki’s experiments focus on testing components at their smallest level. The team isolated the interior of the battery, specifically the alternating anode and cathode layers, and crushed them between metal plates to determine how they hold up in crashes.
As demand for hybrid and electric vehicles picks up, companies are focusing on creating the most durable lithium ion batteries imaginable, according to Clean Technica. The goal, experts say, is to improve the cycle stability of the batteries, which is a crucial aspect of overall lifetime.
One battery was even subjected to 10,000 full cycles, after which more than 85 percent of its capacity remained. This is especially important when companies are increasingly focusing on lowering maintenance, recall and lifecycle-related costs.
Testing is a major component of this, and improving the efficiency of this process can ensure products get to market in a timely fashion.