Prosperity Partnerships

Lead Research Organisation: University of Warwick
Department Name: WMG

Abstract

There is a growing demand for low carbon vehicles to reduce the transport sector's environmental impact and respond to the pressure of decarbonisation. Over the last 5 years, battery costs and performance have improved significantly which has subsequently improved the viability of electric and hybrid vehicles. By taking a whole-systems approach to electrification for efficiency, this collaborative research programme will focus on gaining underpinning knowledge on battery performance and degradation, new devices and packaging for power electronic, design of electric motors that include manufacturing effects and addressing the challenges that electric drives for torque transmission impose on surfaces, substrates and lubricants to optimise materials for drives. This research will address the fundamental research challenges to accelerate electrification of vehicles in the UK. It will deliver new scientific insights to drive forward discovery and innovation in electric and hybrid vehicles. The knowledge generated by this research programme will provide a route to maintain and grow jobs as low emission vehicles replace existing vehicles and will have impacts across the supply chain.

Planned Impact

Industrial benefits
The proposed Prosperity Partnership will drive discovery and innovation in electric and hybrid vehicles using challenges co-created by University of Warwick and Jaguar Land Rover. The Partnership will provide scientific research to underpin the development-driven research, accelerating the pace of innovation in the company. The research will also explore new research questions with the potential to deliver step-changes in the electrification of vehicles. As a key UK manufacturing company, Jaguar Land Rover can exploit the impact of their innovations across their extensive supply chain.

Social Benefits
The research outputs from this project will enable Warwick to expand its energy storage and advanced propulsion research portfolio that is rooted in WMG, contributing to research to accelerate emissions and CO2 reduction in vehicles and training skilled researchers to address the skills gap in these growing areas.. Further social benefits arise from communication of the electric vehicle technologies and their underpinning science through the public engagement/outreach activities delivered as part of this Prosperity Partnership. These activities will be focused on STEM subjects via Jaguar Land Rover's Inspiring Tomorrow's Engineers' programme that will engage with 2 million young people by 2020, nurturing talent for our business and the wider automotive industry. The two WMG Academies (14-19 years) nurturing the future generation of engineers and scientists will also benefit. Through a dedicated website and media channels there will be opportunities to raise the general public's awareness of low carbon vehicles and the role they play in reducing environmental impact.

Environmental benefits
By improving performance and emissions this research programme will help meet EU targets within the Climate and Energy Package (2014), which includes a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels and a 20% improvement in the EU's energy efficiency. The UK strategy for ultra-low emission vehicles states the 'vision is that by 2050 almost every car and van in the UK will be an ultra-low emission vehicles; Jaguar Land Rover have reduced average tailpipe CO2 emissions across its European fleet by 32% since 2007 and by 2020 will offer customers the option of electrification on half of all its new models.
 
Description This EPSRC-funded Prosperity Partnership between the University of Warwick, King's College London, and the key industry partner, Jaguar Land Rover provided an understanding of fundamental engineering science and innovations to develop the next generation of electric passenger vehicles and improve the performance of existing ones.

For the first time, this program brought all the drivetrain subsystems f - lithium-ion batteries, power electronics, electric motor and drive train joints - together as a holistic research team. We found that this fostered an appreciate of the whole system and how the subsystems interacted and influenced each other.

The research on batteries continues in terms of integrated sensors for temperature and strain to support fundamental understanding and to validate models. The battery safety work, which began later in the project, is rapidly gaining momentum and is of wider interest. This research involves predictive modeling of battery performance and safety (fires). The bespoke calorimeter that measures heat losses on power electronics has been successful and extended to include measurement of the losses of integrated power electronics and an electric motor, fulfilling a key ambition of the program by understanding losses of subsystems then bringing them together to measure their performance as a system. This calorimeter is now used by a range of research projects and external partners. The research on the manufacturing of electrical steel resulted in a deeper understanding of the effect of cutting process on the magnetic performance, both via experiment and modeling. The power train work has provided vital insight into the wear and lubrication strategies for joints to accommodate new drive cycles.
Exploitation Route The outcomes and continuing work on the safety and prediction of unexpected events in batteries is relevant to the aerospace, defence, and marine sectors.
Sectors Aerospace

Defence and Marine

Transport

 
Description * battery modeling and insight adopted into industry partner's modeling program *battery safety research used in conjunction with new non-automotive partners *instrumented cells being used in other programs *instrumented cell data available to other programs for model development and validation *bespoke calorimeter data and use for power electronic losses available to other programs for model development and understanding, packaging design, and testing of new components for both academic and industry *synergistic development of lubricant and powertrain including automotive sector and lubricant manufacturers
First Year Of Impact 2021
Sector Transport
 
Description CDT studentship with Jaguar Land Rover
Amount £100,000 (GBP)
Organisation University of Warwick 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2023 
End 06/2026
 
Description Multiphysics Modelling of LIB Thermal Runaway and Propagation as part of Safebatt
Amount £3,500,000 (GBP)
Organisation The Faraday Institution 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2023 
End 03/2025
 
Description AWE 
Organisation Atomic Weapons Establishment
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Discussion around the modelling of supercapacitors
Collaborator Contribution Discussion of the extension and further development of the modelling approach initiated in the Prosperity partnership on battery degradation
Impact none
Start Year 2020
 
Description Jaguar Land Rover 
Organisation Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC
Department Jaguar Land Rover
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We have co-created the research program
Collaborator Contribution They are providing direct cash as well as materials, personnel time and equipment access.
Impact New project with ST Mircroelectronics; Brandhauer have been collaborators in IUK programs: JLR is a long standing collaboration (15+ years) Disciplines: power electronics, electric machines, batteries, tribology, materials science, modelling and simulation, instrumentation
Start Year 2017
 
Description MTC Manufacturing technology centre HVM Catapult centre 
Organisation Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution technical discussion
Collaborator Contribution Assembly and processes equipment (flux cleaning, Si gel dispenser etc.)
Impact under development
Start Year 2018
 
Description Mentor Siemens 
Organisation MENTOR Initiative
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Charity/Non Profit 
PI Contribution Discussion regarding testing and innovation in power electronics packaging
Collaborator Contribution Power tester, T3ster equipment for power cycling and thermal characterisation
Impact under development
Start Year 2018
 
Description ST Microelectronics 
Organisation ST Microelectronics
Country Switzerland 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution We have co-created the research program in power electronics. This is now evolving into device reliability and failure analysis, important to both JLR and ST.
Collaborator Contribution They are providing direct cash as well as materials, personnel time and equipment access.
Impact New project with ST Mircroelectronics; Brandhauer have been collaborators in IUK programs: JLR is a long standing collaboration (15+ years) Disciplines: power electronics, electric machines, batteries, tribology, materials science, modelling and simulation, instrumentation.
Start Year 2017
 
Description Tribus-D 
Organisation Tribus-D Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution discussion technical
Collaborator Contribution silver bonding/sintering
Impact on going
Start Year 2019
 
Description collaboration on laser surfacing on friction and wear 
Organisation Oxford Brookes University
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Theme 4 established a research relationship with Oxford Brookes University to study the friction and wear benefits of Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) for automotive applications. The surface structures have been produced as part of the H2020/NFFA project entitled "Biomimetic laser surface patterning for friction and wear reduction of automotive components" (ID: 1045) between Oxford Brookes University, Brunel University and the The Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH, Greece). The surfaces were tested at WMG for their tribological properties under lubricated conditions. Post-test characterisation is currently carried out and a publication is drafted in collaboration.
Collaborator Contribution Theme 4 established a research relationship with Oxford Brookes University to study the friction and wear benefits of Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) for automotive applications. The surface structures have been produced as part of the H2020/NFFA project entitled "Biomimetic laser surface patterning for friction and wear reduction of automotive components" (ID: 1045) between Oxford Brookes University, Brunel University and the The Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas (FORTH, Greece). The surfaces were tested at WMG for their tribological properties under lubricated conditions. Post-test characterisation is currently carried out and a publication is drafted in collaboration.
Impact ongoing
Start Year 2021
 
Description discussion around design of power electronic packaging 
Organisation Solid Print3D Ltd
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution discussion ofcollaboration for 3D printing of semiconductor packaging
Collaborator Contribution none
Impact none
Start Year 2020
 
Description discussion around design of power electronic packaging 
Organisation Video Display Corporation (VDC)
Country United States 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Discussion around collaboration on packaging innovations for power electronics
Collaborator Contribution none
Impact none
Start Year 2020
 
Description discussion of finite element modelling 
Organisation Ansys, Inc
Department ANSYS UK
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution discussion of finite element modelling
Collaborator Contribution none
Impact none
Start Year 2020
 
Description EPSRC Engineering Net Zero Week 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach National
Primary Audience Public/other audiences
Results and Impact The Prosperity Partnership had a research poster at the EPSRC Engineering Net Zero Week in Glasgow to follow on from COP26
In addition, Barbara Shollock to part in a panel discussion.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.ukri.org/news/epsrc-engineering-net-zero-week-20-to-24-june/
 
Description Presentation and partnership exploration 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Industry/Business
Results and Impact A presentation entitled 'Thermophysical behaviour of a LIB cell during its operation and lifetime' to National Energy Research Lab (NREL) USA leaders. We explored research synergies with the ambition to set up a strategic partnership and pursue joint research and funding.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023