Development of Lithium Battery for Vehicle, Pay Attention to Five Key Elements

Almost all car manufacturers and suppliers agree: "When the era of hybrid and electric vehicles comes, lithium batteries will be the energy storage device of the future. Among all batteries, lithium battery technology has the greatest potential for development. "The automotive industry has high expectations for lithium battery technology," says Joachim Fetzer, executive vice president of SBLiMotive, a joint venture between Bosch and Samsung SDI.

BMW is the first automaker to use SBLiMotive batteries that will be installed on the BMW full-power "Megacities" car. SBLiMotive also provides batteries for the BMW Control Action series. BMW will establish a test fleet with this electric vehicle in 2011. Fetzer added: "There are already a number of auto manufacturers actively negotiating with us on battery supply cooperation plans for hybrid and electric vehicles. "

SBLiMove pointed out that there are five key elements in the development of lithium batteries: cost, power storage, power density, safety, and service life. Batteries are one of the most expensive parts of an electric car that depends primarily on the price of the car. The company calculated the price of 350 euros per kilowatt-hour for 2015 battery consumption; In other words, a lithium battery with a capacity of 35 kilowatt-hours costs about 12,000 euros.

But after 2015, more batteries with higher power capacity are expected to be developed, and economies of scale will drive down battery prices. Ferzil further pointed out: "For example, manufacturers with an annual output of 50,000 to 100,000 lithium batteries will bear more than 500 euros in R&D costs per battery than manufacturers with an annual output of 500,000 units."

Another key factor in the success of electric vehicles is the maximum driving distance, which depends mainly on the battery's power storage. The range of customer needs is 200 kilometers. In order to meet this demand, engineers are trying to double power storage. The emphasis is on improving the chemical composition of batteries to increase storage and density, says Mr Fetzer. "

The improvement of power storage can also reduce the weight and size of lithium batteries. At present, the most advanced lithium battery used in a car can travel 100 to 150 kilometers, and the size is about the size of the rear trunk of the VW car Golf. In other words, the 35 kilowatt-hour battery has a capacity of about 350 litres and a total weight of about 350 kilograms.

In addition, the service life of car lithium batteries should be as long as that of cars. In the case of hybrid vehicles, batteries require up to 1 million charge cycles because the switch between the hybrid's motor and generator power modes is very frequent and charges are used when braking. In the case of electric vehicles, SBLiMove has set its goal of 1,500 to 2,000 complete charging cycles, which is equivalent to driving 150 to 200 kilometers per charge, with a total life span of approximately 300,000 kilometers.

Lithium batteries have a service life of more than 10 years. If the battery performance is not less than 80 % of the original performance, it does not need to be replaced. The safety of lithium batteries must also meet the high standards of the automotive industry. High-safety internal materials play an important role. The power outage separator is a good example: if the battery is too hot, it will interrupt the current current.

Monitoring the core is important for each battery group. The battery management system continuously records and regulates current, voltage, temperature and electricity to prevent the battery from overheating or losing power. A sophisticated thermal energy management system can ensure that the battery is always in an ideal safe temperature range. Maintaining 35 to 40 degrees Celsius allows the battery to operate at any time. Too low a temperature will reduce the power, the temperature over Gaoze will shorten the battery life.

Bosch and Samsung SDI established SBLiMotive in September 2008; Until 2013, the two companies with half of their holdings will continue to pay 500 million euros. SBLiMotive had about 140 employees in its early days and has so far had 650 employees in three major economic regions around the world.

SBLiMove has a total of 360 employees inSouth Korea's Giheung(headquarters and battery research and development and verification department) and Ulsan(where the manufacturing plant is located). At that time, the factory and equipment for the production of batteries in Ulsan were completed in just 12 months. Since 2010, the plant has produced lithium batteries for the "volume prenatal program" and is expected to begin mass production in 2011.

Its German subsidiary has 100 employees and is headquartered in Stuttgart-Feuerbach. It is home to research and development batteries and systems and build prototypes. SBLiMove's base inGermanyalso set up teams for global sales, marketing and service key customers.

In 2009, SBLiMove acquired Cobasys in theUnited States. It has two manufacturing plants in Orion, Michigan, and Shibinboluo, Ohio. Today, Cobasys manufactures SBLiMotive's pre-acquisition nickel-metal hybrid batteries on the one hand, and assists its customers in developing lithium battery systems on the other.

Ulsan expects to expand 1,000 jobs related to lithium battery production in the coming years. SBLiMove also plans to increase the annual output of batteries to 600,000 kilowatt-hours by 2012 and supply about 20,000 electric vehicles. We will use the next major order to expand the battery plant, possibly in Europe or theUS, depending on where our new customers are located, says Mr Fetzer. "

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