The Voltt: A Database of Battery Parameters for Virtual Modelling and Optimisation of Battery Cells to Accelerate R&D

Alongside the rapid electrification of the automotive industry, global OEMs are accelerating their plans and efforts to develop new battery technologies. Governments aim to ban the sale of new internal combustion engines as soon as 2030, battery performance and lifetime need to be improved to accelerate this transition. Battery development is expensive, time-consuming and carbon-intensive due to the reliance on physical testing and prototyping. The requirements for high-quality data, expensive equipment and expertise pose a significant barrier for new entrants into the industry. Activities such as cell selection, system design and ageing tests require many months or even years to build a good grounding and understanding of the batteries in question. Modelling and virtual iteration can be used to speed up this battery development. However, while current battery software platforms offer modelling solutions, they do not provide insight on the underlying physical properties of batteries. This insight, together with high-precision testing is needed to bring new innovations to market for state-of-the-art and next-generation batteries. About:Energy has commercialized research developed within Faraday Institution research projects to characterise the electrical, electrochemical and thermal properties of a battery. This project will develop advanced battery ageing testing procedures and models with Imperial College London, aiming to reduce the total cost of ownership of Arrival’s commercial vehicle fleet. Centralising bespoke testing methods reduces the barriers that hinder the adoption of models. “The Voltt” is being created to speed-up battery development, while enabling design optimisation based on energy, power, and lifetime. The Voltt will offer access to specific battery datasets and models that can be used in existing modelling software, streamlining the enhancement of battery performance from the design stages to end-of-life.