Battery electric trucks can be the future backbone of the transport industry—combining maximum energy efficiency with good flexibility. Daimler Truck AG has proven with a number of projects and products on a global scale how capable these electric trucks can be. This presentation will investigate the special needs of batteries and cells for commercial vehicles with a special focus on the safety aspects.

To observe the rapid material transition in lithium-ion batteries during thermal runaway, we developed a specialized equipment for nail penetration utilizing synchrotron radiation XRD. Equipped with a wide-aperture Cd-Te detector, it allows for millisecond-scale observation of structural changes in cathode materials without moving the detector. In this presentation, we will report the measurement results of a battery with LiCoO₂ cathode.

This presentation covers recent developments in codes and standards for energy storage systems. While technology developments continue to outpace codes and standards developments, there are acceleration efforts underway to bridge gaps.

With the global effort to electrify transportation, the Li-ion battery community is approaching a pivotal shift towards next-generation energy storage technologies. The safety and abuse-tolerance of such technologies greatly differ from conventional Li-ion cells in their mechanical robustness, thermal response, kinetics of reaction, toxicity of reaction products, and fire extinguishment. In this talk, an overview will be provided on what has been learned for conventional Li-ion batteries, how safety and abuse tolerance of cells are likely to change for up-and-coming technologies, as well as challenges and opportunities for reimagining safe cell and battery system designs.

With the increased use of lithium-ion cells for various applications from consumer devices to electric vehicle and grid energy storage systems, the accumulation of used batteries of this chemistry has increased exponentially. Recycling batteries of this chemistry will allow for recovery of expensive metals and contribute to a sustainable circular economy. ESRI's research studies have focused on using solvents that serve multiple functions in the initial process of recycling lithium-ion cells.

This presentation offers an in-depth analysis of 10 electric vehicles (EVs) affected by floodwaters during Hurricane Ian, procured from auction sites in Florida. The EVs include Tesla Models 3, Y, S, and X, Lucid Air Grand Touring, and Porsche Taycan. Aligned with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's mission, the study is dedicated to advancing EV safety and bolstering hurricane preparedness. Central objectives include generating insights gleaned from incidents involving saltwater-flooded EVs, documenting observations derived from teardown analyses, and offering valuable insights for future research endeavors focused on enhancing EV resilience.

As the transportation sector moves towards full electrification, the performance limitations of Li-ion batteries are prompting the development of advanced battery technologies. However, battery advancements are frequently pursued with an emphasis on performance metrics, thereby relegating safety evaluation to later stages of development. This presentation will discuss our strategy for leveraging small-scale experimental results to forecast the safety profile of large-format cells, thereby informing safer and more effective battery technologies.

To balance the high price of lithium, to find alternatives to the Li-ion batteries and lead-acid batteries, Na-ion batteries are rapidly R&D'ed with some scale of commercial production. The safety (tests) of Na-ion batteries are not well discussed. Here, we are going to present the safety test results and performance data of various Na-ion batteries and probe the mechanism of the Na-ion safety (tests).

The mining industry is implementing lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) on mine utility vehicles (MUVs). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is investigating the effects of the harsh mining environment on MUV LIBs. Mining vehicle vibration levels could be high due to adverse travelway conditions. This presentation will discuss MUV vibration levels measured by NIOSH and vibration levels specified in standards and guidelines for LIBs.

As EVs become more mainstream, safety concerns are paramount for OEMs, consumers, and regulators. Owing to thermal runaway risks in an EV crash incident, it is important to know the mechanical deformation that triggers internal shorting. Understanding mechanical design limits helps design crashworthy vehicles while balancing the need for lightweighting. In this presentation, a cell-to-vehicle crash simulation workflow will be discussed.  LS-DYNA models were calibrated and subsequently validated against cell experimental data. Multiphysics models that captured a battery cell’s electrical, mechanical, and thermal behaviors were then used in simulation of full electric vehicle crash.

To design safer lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, a combination of experiments, diagnostic techniques, and multiphysics modeling tools are needed to understand how various abuses, such as mechanical crush, lead to electrical and thermal failures. NREL’s Battery Abuse Diagnostics Laboratory can test and diagnose batteries under various abuse conditions, such as dynamic impact, and provides data as input to safety models, providing guidance to design safer cells and modules.

This study introduces a battery design focused on improving the gravimetric energy density of a passively propagation-resistant (PPR) battery pack. This design integrates spine heat sinks as the primary path for heat dissipation. Commercially available 21700 cells were bonded to aluminum spines and arranged into a test module with a 36P electrical topology. We provide a concise overview of the design, thermal analysis predictions, and forthcoming PPR test results.

Forensic evaluation of lithium-ion batteries using advanced characterization techniques is extremely important to understand performance levels, capacity fade, and degradation/failure mechanisms. It is becoming imperative to understand the cell chemistries relating to operational phenomena in various cell formats. In addition to understanding failure mechanisms, a thorough understanding of the chemistries and component assembly is required to improve safety and performance.

Our first of five guidelines for designing passive propagation resistance (PPR) into battery packs with cylindrical cells is to control the risk of sidewall and spin groove rupture. We characterized this risk with 4 commercially available high energy 21700 cell designs while being structurally supported as they would be in our most mature PPR battery design approach using interstitial aluminum heat sink. After driving by heat into TR our battery test articles with over 800 cells, our post test examinations and can wall thickness measurements indicate that cell designs with the thickness can walls in the crimp and spin groove area showed the most robustness. Remarkably, the correlation with cylindrical can wall thickness and occurrence of sidewall ruptures is pretty poor. Our cross-sectional measurements of the can wall interfacing the cell headers indicate that’s where more can wall thickness has the most safety benefit.

Silicon has emerged as the leading next-generation anode material for lithium-ion batteries and is being used to replace traditional graphite to raise the overall energy density of cells. However, higher energy density is expected to correlate with safety concerns relating to cell self-heating rates and thermal events. The relationship between silicon loading and safety is elucidated through material and cell-level investigations, with solutions proposed with novel electrode and electrolyte designs.

Thermal runaway venting in high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries presents significant hazards, including the increased likelihood of thermal runaway propagation, the release of combustible gases, and heightened fire risks. This presentation provides an overview of these dangers and introduces our integrated approach that combines experimental characterization with multiphysics modeling to deepen our understanding of these dynamic risks and investigate potential mitigation strategies.

This study investigates the impact of operating temperature and discharge rate on the cyclic aging of commercial 18650 sodium-ion cells and their safety implications. In this study, commercial 18650 sodium-ion cells undergo cyclic aging tests at temperatures of 0°C, 25°C, and 40°C with discharge rates of 1C, 2C, and 3C conditions (1C charge rate in all cases) to evaluate the influence of these parameters on i) degradation behavior, ii) cyclic performance, and iii) safety. The results reveal significant correlations between operating temperature, discharge rates, and safety parameters such as sodium plating and exothermic reactions, and self-heating rates significantly.

The recent rise in the popularity of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries in the US has created a renewed interest in their safety characteristics. In this talk, we review our findings from evaluations of a range of LFP battery designs and discuss the potential safety implications of variations in cell designs, manufacturing quality, and failure behavior.

This study investigates the thermal runaway behavior of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) under two conditions: with and without immersion in a cooling fluid. Energy required to trigger thermal runaway, gas release, and fire are characterized and compared between the two setups. The findings shed light on the potential of using battery thermal management fluids to prevent and mitigate hazards associated with LIB thermal runaway, while also addressing the challenges involved.

This study focuses on the comprehensive characterization of the safety aspects of commercial 21700 Lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells and modules. The primary objective is to evaluate the safety performance of Li-ion cells under various stress conditions. Results of safety tests, including overcharge, overdischarge, external short tests, and external heating tests, will be discussed at the cell and module level. The results of this study provide valuable insights that can help develop safer and more reliable energy storage solutions for a range of applications.