Institution news
Ahead of the International EV Batteries 2020 live online conference, Christian explained his role and involvement with regards to the conference, critical engineering challenges and why it is important for engineers to attend.
Q: Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to EV batteries?
Christian Rathberger (CR): I lead a department at Magna which is involved with thermal management. Thermal conditioning of batteries in the scope of complete vehicle thermal management systems is an important topic for us. We regularly investigate related topics both in Magna internally and in external customer projects, usually using our thermal management software KULI.
Q: What would you say are the main challenges to EV batteries being adopted by consumers on a large scale?
CR: I would say the main issue is still the pricing. Capacity (and resulting vehicle range) can be an issue for some applications, but for most households with more than one vehicle this poses no real restrictions. It can also only become a topic in combination with the price as people do not want to spend a lot of money on something with a quite limited range. Furthermore, if the actual range strongly deviates from OEM specifications in winter, they might even feel slightly cheated.
Q: How do you see those challenges being overcome in the coming years?
CR: If we manage to get the price down and increase the capacity slightly, this might just do the trick. We are already quite close to building mass market capable mid-sized cars (Tesla 3, Volkswagen ID.3, Chevrolet Bolt etc.), but we are not there, yet.
Q: Regarding new technologies for battery use and operation, what would you say are the ones to watch for the future?
CR: Buffer batteries in commercial vehicle fuel cell applications will most likely gain importance. In such an application high loads (short time acceleration or long hill climbs) will meet relatively small battery packs (they are “only buffers”) leading to high C-rates and most likely thermal management issues.
In daily use, small scale consumer appliances will need “safe” battery cells. If a new cell type gets approval for unrestricted use and transport in planes, this would be an important USP (if it can also provide reasonable energy density as well).
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this year’s International EV Batteries conference?
CR: Batteries are a rapidly developing field of technology, so it is always important to stay informed and ideas from others can lead to inspirations for new applications.
International EV Batteries 2020 will be taking place live online on 11-12 November. Join this conference to:
- Hear from battery experts from organisations including Arrival, Geely Powertrain Research Institute, Britishvolt, Department for Transport, London Fire Brigade, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Magna Powertrain, Groupe Renault, Williams Advanced Engineering, Vertical Aerospace and the Health and Safety Executive
- Find out how specific challenges of integrating EV technology into heavy duty, aerospace and military applications are being managed by leaders in the field
- Plan for a more cost-effective, stable and energy-dense battery by hearing about state-of-the-art battery cell chemistries and design
- Gain insights into the latest battery testing techniques and technologies to ensure an efficient and safe battery
- Learn best practice for thermal management of batteries to ensure optimal temperatures for safe and efficient operation
- Join the discussion through our interactive roundtables and our live question and answer sessions with the speakers.
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/evbatteries.