EV-Join

Electrification of vehicles is key to achieve global legislative requirements for CO2 emissions reductions. Zero emissions within cities, higher quality and higher performance electrified vehicles (EVs) is also making them more attractive. \>2 million EVs were sold globally in 2018, 68% were battery electric vehicles (BEV) and 31% were plugin hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), with an annual growth rate of 57%. Pack costs are expected to reduce from €155/kWh today to €90/kWh in 2030, through technological advancements and economies of scale. However, several issues currently limit further exploitation. High-volume EV production is still in its infancy in the UK and even the leading manufacturers lack the knowledge to design systems that can be readily manufactured by processes suitable for volume production.

These EV systems are assembled, and must finally all be connected together (individual cells, to modules, to battery packs to motors, to complex PEMD systems), with potentially 10,000 -- 100,000+ welds per EV power train required. However, numerous complex issues are associated with the joining processes required to achieve these connections. EV producers, SME through to Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) level, struggle to select compatible materials and joining processes, to specify and design the required EV systems and to select suitable manufacturing processes.

_The EV-Join project will provide a user friendly software tool that addresses major issues faced by companies developing EV systems_, namely:

* A selection process that allows feasible joint designs to be created, taking into account materials to be joined and required geometries.
* A selection of suitable joining processes for the materials combinations and joint geometries.
* Assistance with a calculation of production rates and costs to aid a user in selecting a production process.
* Assistance for planning of production line processes taking into account the requirements and limitation of each joint combination and production process. This will include requirements for critical upstream and downstream processes.
* In service joint properties, manufacturing process requirements to achieve those properties.

With this, EV-Join will unlock, for manufacturing as a whole:

* Reduced time-to-market for all sizes of manufacturing businesses in the UK supply chain.
* More efficient selection of the joining process, taking into account materials to be joined, productivity and geometries requirements.
* Improved - and maintained - weld quality.
* Increased productivity and reduction in repairs and scrap.
* Reduced and potentially eliminated need for expensive and time-consuming post-weld Non-Destructive-Testing (NDT).