Johnson Controls and Fraunhofer Institute have entered into an agreement for developing lithium-ion batteries for vehicles.
R&D staff from JCI will work with the Fraunhofer’s Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT) and its Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM). Under the agreement the group will investigate technologies and thermal management strategies for lithium-ion battery packs.
“Optimising the energy storage solution within the broader vehicle environment will enable Johnson Controls to design, develop and commercialise systems which not only meet our customers’ requirements, but also lead to improvements in function, package and cost,” said MaryAnn Wright, vice president of Engineering and Product Development for Johnson Controls Power Solutions.
The work will initially be focused on developing a 48V battery for micro-hybrid cars. The battery technology will need to achieve fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions while managing the additional loads placed upon the battery over and above SLI batteries.
The work will build upon JCI’s existing advanced battery technology for the micro hybrid market that reduce fuel consumption by 15%.
48V micro hybrid technology is anticipated to follow the trend of mild hybrids by experiencing earlier adoption in Europe than elsewhere in the world as European emissions targets force the hand of industry. Global adoption will begin from 2020.