Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has launched the next phase of an electric vehicle (EV) battery consortium for energy storage system performance research. With companies in the mobility sector, the Electrified Vehicle and Energy Storage Evaluation-II (EVESE-II) consortium expands on over 10 years of precompetitive research led by SwRI.
Swapnil Salvi, a research engineer in SwRI’s Automotive Propulsion Systems Department, works on a battery immersion cooling test rig. SwRI will use the technology to support the Electrified Vehicle and Energy Storage Evaluation-II (EVESE-II) consortium. Image Credit: Southwest Research Institute (SWRI)
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Dr. Andre Swarts, Staff Engineer, Automotive Propulsion Systems Department, Southwest Research Institute
EVESE-II will broaden its emphasis on module and pack research while carrying out the battery cell research that was started during the first phase of EVESE.
Cell research will remain at the heart of the program with a focus on test repeatability, cell aging, and fast charging research as well as exploring emerging cell chemistries with increased energy capacities.
Dr. Andre Swarts, Staff Engineer, Automotive Propulsion Systems Department, Southwest Research Institute
Critical information and insights to enhance thermal management and safety performance through various technologies will come from performance and abuse testing conducted at different scales. The technique known as immersion cooling involves immersing battery packs or cells in a dielectric fluid to dissipate heat more efficiently than air cooling.
The emphasis on immersion cooling came out of past EVESE work, which underscored its ability to enhance thermal management and mitigate thermal runaway.
Dr. Swapnil Salvi, Research Engineer, Automotive Propulsion Systems Department, Southwest Research Institute
“SwRI has developed a substantial portfolio of test capabilities over the past few years to support these research activities,” said Salvi.
With sophisticated modeling and simulation, EVESE-II will investigate novel approaches to charging technology, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) systems, and sophisticated in-situ battery health diagnostics and enhanced comprehension.