CATL GmbH and Fraunhofer IKTS are expanding their joint ‘BattLife’ project to predict battery lifetime, with a new project.
Using the data so far collected in the BattLife project, the companies are now continuing and expanding the work in the ‘BattForce’ project. The focus of this will be the process of battery swelling, which has proved to be a large determining factor in battery lifecycles.
The co-operation began in 2020 with the development of models at the test facility at CATL’s Erfurter Kreuz plant in the state of Thuringia.
The Battery Innovation and Technology Centre of Fraunhofer IKTS engage in research on the production of energy storage systems using innovative, data-driven methods. CATL have always been involved in R&D and, with the support of the Free State of Thuringia and Fraunhofer IKTS, have set up a jointly-developed state-of-the-art facility at the CATL plant. This is now being further expanded and equipped with the new technology, jointly developed by CATL and Fraunhofer IKTS.
The facility currently offers different environments with various temperatures and humidity levels, charging and discharging times, which can be simulated simultaneously on many test objects.
Fraunhofer IKTS analyse and evaluate the data collected using high-end methodology. The researchers then create models and simulations that can be used to describe the service life of batteries.
It is hoped that the benefits of this research will greatly optimise battery potential to drive electrification and decarbonisation.
