Written by / Zhu Lin
Editor/ Qian Yaguang
Design / Shi Yuchao
Source/Forbes, by James Morris
Power battery technology is developing rapidly. For batteries of the same capacity, the cost is now only about 10% of what it was a decade ago, and it continues to decline.
With the decline in battery prices, in order to improve energy density and service life, the chemical composition of batteries is also constantly adjusting, and more radical design changes are also emerging.
The owner of a specialized high-performance car company thinks his latest advances could lead to a radical revolution in the way batteries are managed.
Dennis Palatov founded Palatov Motosport LLC in 2008, a company that has been building high-performance, track-focused motor cars that use various types of engines for more than a decade.
Palatov's standout model in recent years is the 2019 D2EV, a super electric racing car developed in partnership with Cascadia Motion. With a maximum power of 956 kW and can reach 193 km/h in 5.2 seconds, the car aims to set a speed record at the Bonaville Salt Lake Circuit after conquering Pikes Peak.
Paratov D2EV Super Racing▼
After that, Paratov continued to develop electric high-performance racing cars, with its latest model being the upcoming D8. If the D2EV is a special model dedicated to racing, the D8 will be more like a supercar model that takes into account both the road and the track.
Paratov was able to offer a variety of powertrain options for the car, but the most appealing was the all-electric version, as it would serve as a testbed for innovative services for new ways of battery management. The car will also showcase a unique implementation of the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) technology, which is currently widely popular in the art world.
Modular series batteries
While developing the electric powertrain, Paratov came up with some new ideas for battery pack design and subsequently founded a new company called Modular Battery Technologies Inc, or Modbatt for short.
The basic design concept of Modbatt (Modular Battery Technology) is to change the way cells and modules are combined in automotive battery systems. At present, the usual design is to connect the batteries in parallel in a module, and then connect several modules in series to obtain the voltage required for the entire system, generally 400V or 800V.
The problem with this approach is that the parallel cells can only be monitored as an average, not individually. If one of the cells is short-circuited, all other cells will provide all the energy to the faulty cell and will not be able to control the current.
Paratov's idea, and the basis of Modbator's technology (which is currently patent pending), is that the cells inside the module are connected in series rather than in parallel, and that each module is capable of providing the necessary voltage. That is, each module is already 800V and connected to the system via a relay, so if a fault occurs, the fault module can be shut down and completely isolated.
To achieve this, each cell has its own SmartCell chip to monitor temperature and voltage, which can communicate with the module controller on a series chain and then with the entire battery management system (BMS). This monitoring chip can be added to any chemical type of cell and requires only 15C of charge.
Since the only control of the current battery management system is to shut down the entire battery pack, if the cells within one module fail, the vehicle may not be able to continue to operate.
Systems using Modbator technology can disconnect one fault module, cut off the current of the fault cell, and all other modules can continue to operate normally. This battery may also be safer because it allows for more granular control and monitoring of the health of individual cells in the battery.
Another advantage of the system is that since each module has reached the voltage required for the entire system, the modules can be added in parallel as needed to meet the total capacity requirements of the battery pack.
This battery management system may allow the mixing of modules containing different chemical components in each battery pack, because some modules have better charge and discharge durability in daily use, while those with higher energy density can be used for long-distance travel.
It is also possible that when changing the battery, it is not necessary to replace the entire battery pack, but only replace some of the modules.
Or NFT artwork?
Now let's go back to the D8 car and see how Paratov intends to combine the Mobatt battery system with NFT technology.
The first thing to mention is that this car will be very fast. The all-wheel-drive motor will deliver a maximum power of 662 kilowatts, which doesn't look very strong, or even as good as Tesla Model S Plaid's 750 kilowatts. But consider that the D8 itself weighs only 1026 kilograms, less than half of the Tesla Model S.
Therefore, Paratov expects the car to accelerate from stationary to 96 km / h in less than 2 seconds, and the top speed can reach about 322 km / h.
The Modbatt modular system will mean that the battery can be quickly configured to a capacity of 30 to 60 kWh. However, if the module is installed too little, it will not be able to provide complete power performance, so it is recommended that the minimum is 40 kWh. The car will have an endspan of 483 km, also thanks to its light weight.
The D8 battery pack can reach a maximum capacity of 60 kWh▼
Depending on the specific regulations of the relevant country or the U.S. state, the D8 may be legal to drive on the road, but the main application scenario of this car is still on the track, where it can safely explore its full performance.
The car has half the downforce of an F1 car at 160 km/h, and doesn't even have assists such as traction control or power steering. As a result, its driving experience can be raw and exciting, best suited for those who really know how to handle high-performance vehicles.
Modbatt technology, which can also remotely control and certify the battery, uses blockchain technology, which is also the performance of the D8 in NFT technology. These batteries can be remotely enabled or disabled individually, and their blockchain IDs can track their entire cell lifecycle from manufacturing to recycling.
For the D8, Paratov Motorsport Ltd is taking advantage of this by selling a limited edition of eight cars through auction as a "mixed reality" artwork, each with a unique NFT identifier.
The virtual part of this will be a 3D rendered video clip of the car. The car itself is the physical expression of the NFT, with each car having a matching serial number. Owners can also get up to eight private track days a year at Oregon Speedway Park, where they can explore the true capabilities of the D8. It is expected to cost about $1 million per vehicle.
The D8 is clearly a halo model for a very small number of buyers, but it shows how Modbat technology can add useful features to electric vehicle batteries. As battery packs are more modularized and management system monitoring is more granular, this technology will make batteries more accurate in their health assessment and maintenance.
And blockchain capabilities will enable it to do things like remotely disable a car's battery when it's stolen, or accurately determine the failure of the battery pack. In any case, when electric vehicles swept the automotive market like a storm, we saw the rapid development of battery technology through this car.