Coupled mechanical-electrochemical- Thermal modeling for accelerated design of EV batteries

The physical phenomena occurring in a battery are many, complex, and in different scales (particle, electrodes, cell, pack) 1. Electrochemical (e.g., node-cathode interactions) 2. Electrical (e.g., electron moving in the current collectors) 3. Thermal (e.g., heat release due cell inefficiencies) 4. Chemical (e.g., electrolyte reactions with electrode surfaces) 5. Mechanical (e.g., pressure build-up, deformation after a crush) Better understanding of interplay between different physics occurring in different scales through modeling will provide insight to designing improved batteries for electric vehicles Work funded by US DOE has resulted in development of computer aided engineering tools to accelerate electrochemical and thermal design of batteries; mechanical modeling underway This paper provides an overview of the M-ECT modeling efforts.