In recent years, the world of electric vehicles has experienced considerable development. This year, the team recognized the need to advance the electric prototype’s development by revolutionizing the technology behind the battery pack’s power.
The traditional cylindrical cell has been replaced with innovative pouch cells, which offer a significantly higher energy density.
Despite their superior performance, pouch cells present numerous thermal and structural challenges that must be addressed with care. In recent months, the team has focused on the electrical and thermal characterization of the new battery pack.
Electrical characterization allows the team to optimize the power usage of the cells and simulate their behavior under various operating conditions. Thermal analysis, meanwhile, enables evaluation of the necessary cooling to ensure prototype safety.
These tests have suggested a battery pack configuration that ensures optimal performance in terms of both power and energy, with no limitations during the race.
In the initial tests, the team aimed to verify the specifications indicated in the datasheets. The experimental capacity was found to be slightly below the nominal value, while the calculated nominal voltage far exceeded expectations. The characterization will include further analysis of internal resistances and transients, along with Coulombic and energy efficiencies.
Thermal tests highlighted that the most delicate points of the cell are the TABs, the thin metal tabs that must handle very high current flow across a small section. When the cells are subjected to significant currents, the TABs quickly reach high temperatures. Following these tests, the team focused on correctly sizing the battery pack’s cooling system. Cooling will be air-based, with a flow regulated by dedicated fans.
These experiments allowed the team to make modifications to the initial battery pack design, which will be finalized only after completing the welding tests of the BUS-BARs. The cell manufacturer kindly provided several pairs of TABs for laser welding tests, the technology that will be used to connect the cells.
