Battery design is a top priority for the EV ecosystem
By Brian Whitaker, Product Marketing Manager at Keysight
The transition from internal combustion engines (ICEs) to electric vehicles (EVs) that use clean energy requires significant technological investment to drive widespread adoption of EVs in the market.
In addition, an increasing number of countries have announced plans to phase out or limit conventional internal combustion engines. Policy-driven EV ecosystems need to grow rapidly. Correspondingly, this demand also puts forward higher requirements for battery testing methods for electric vehicles, requiring battery testing to be more efficient.
With the rapid growth of the electric vehicle market, the demand for core components such as power batteries is also expanding. As one of the key subsystems of electric vehicles, power batteries are the key to the continuous electrification of the transportation system.
The industry's goal is to develop EV batteries using fast, cost-effective, and energy-efficient processes to improve battery durability, power density, and operational safety.
An important factor influencing battery design is performance testing. This critical process encompasses design, production, and system integration to ensure that all EV batteries entering the market perform optimally in terms of safety and operational performance.
Without the latest test systems and test methods, battery testing for electric vehicles can be costly and time-consuming. Employing best-practice methodologies and advanced technologies throughout the battery design process can help customers solve a variety of design challenges quickly and easily.
This article will focus on the following:
- How to improve the quality and performance of your EV battery design by investing in an end-to-end EV battery test system.
- How these systems help customers get to market faster and reduce operating costs without compromising range, power density, and safety.
Accelerate time to market for new products
Testing and validating EV batteries is critical to ensuring excellent performance and safety once the product is on the market. Thorough testing during the research and development (R&D) phase can also speed up time to market and improve cost-effectiveness for new products. By performing in-house testing, customers can identify battery performance issues, thereby reducing the time to market for new products and ensuring the stability of the EV battery supply chain.
Figure 1. Example of a battery test lab
执行内部测试（In-House Testing）
At this stage, test houses are busier than ever, so there will be longer wait times, which also means that the testing needs of designers will be delayed. Relying on external testing agencies can easily extend development time by several weeks, putting companies at a competitive disadvantage.
By purchasing their own test equipment for in-house use, companies can dramatically reduce test wait times. By properly planning and scheduling in-house testing, companies are able to obtain complete performance data on the latest design prototypes in less time.
Purchasing these pieces of equipment may seem like a high capital investment, but in an increasingly competitive environment, the time savings can provide a significant return on investment.
Uncover performance and security hazards
It's important to consider the impact of poor performance. Skipping non-mandatory testing may result in missed performance or safety hazards. Once a product needs to be recalled, the cost of pass-through to the production process is even more severe. The process of correcting a problem can greatly impact the time it takes to successfully bring an intact end product to market. At a time when the market is moving so fast, such delays cannot be tolerated.
In the early design and production phases, skipping testing can seem like a shortcut. However, this strategy actually carries a high level of risk. If hidden dangers remain undetected and unresolved, they can significantly delay the time to market for new products.
Reduce operating costs
A well-designed test lab can help EV battery R&D teams achieve significant savings in operating costs.
High-performance, state-of-the-art battery test systems can even achieve energy efficiency of up to 96%. The remaining 4% of usable energy is returned to the grid for other uses.
This technology can help busy R&D labs reduce operating costs in two ways: by improving the installation of cooling infrastructure, and by consistently reducing energy costs substantially.
Improve the operational efficiency of your lab
Global EV sales continue to climb, reaching 13.6 million units in 2023, a 31% increase from 2022. Such a massive increase in sales requires a large number of tests to support it, and performing these tests can take up a lot of equipment for a considerable period of time. With the rapid development of the market and the growth of electric vehicle sales, lengthy testing processes can lead to design bottlenecks and delay the time to market of new products.
All of the above tests require the ability to efficiently manage and evaluate large amounts of data. One way to effectively manage large volumes of test data is to choose a lab operating software that provides complete data and traceability. In addition, the application software can provide data analysis tools and workflow management capabilities to improve the efficiency of the test lab.
Clarify the test requirements of battery designers
Modularity and flexibility enable lean processes that enable battery designers, R&D studios, and small start-ups to quickly design high-quality batteries.
Investing in the upstream design phase will reap the benefits of the quality of the final product. Design flaws must be corrected quickly and accurately and cost-effectively at this stage. Test systems, such as charge/discharge platforms and battery cycle life testers, must quickly evaluate and validate designs to provide comprehensive data to help designers make subsequent optimizations.
Ideally, the test equipment should have a compact form factor and be able to deploy different channel configurations as battery needs change and capacity grows.
Figure 2. Battery cells for electric vehicles
Complex system testing
In addition to power electronics, there are many other test scenarios that customers should consider, such as testing prototypes in different climatic conditions using battery management systems and artificial climate labs.
The test scenarios cover the following aspects:
- Functional, aging, environmental and performance testing.
- Standardized and compliance testing (e.g. ISO, DIN, EN, SAE).
- Internal resistance, charge, energy, capacity, efficiency, durability and age, temperature characteristics, and mechanical resistance tests.
- Durability, range, and efficiency analysis.
- Electrochemical impedance measurements and cyclic voltammetry measurements.
By dynamically controlling these variables, test engineers are able to set and change relevant test parameters without user intervention. This additional data must be evaluated during the test and does not require post-processing. The test system must clearly display the data so that the user can tell if the test is working properly or if it is necessary to terminate the test.
Therefore, the test software must be able to control all components in the test environment synchronously and at the same time record the measured values as well as the variables used during the rest of the test work.
conclusion
Obviously, investing in EV battery testing is not only a technical need, but also a strategic need for decision-making and deployment aimed at future mobility. By employing advanced testing methods, it is critical that manufacturers can improve the safety, efficiency, and longevity of EV batteries to support the rapid growth of the EV market.
Not only is this in line with global sustainability goals, but it also puts manufacturers at the forefront of technological innovation and is well-positioned to respond to the changing needs of consumers and regulators. By prioritizing the adoption of advanced battery testing, manufacturers are paving the way to drive innovation in mobility. These innovations will drive significant improvements in the ease of use, reliability, and eco-friendliness of electric vehicles.
(Liu Liqing)