Societal changes take time and effort, typically with unexpected challenges along the way. Transforming society’s dependence on internal combustion engines (ICE) to an electrified future will require substantial investments in new battery technologies.
The demand for electric vehicle (EV) transportation has been driven, at least in part, by regulatory restrictions that limit the production or operation of ICE vehicles by 2035. Achieving this goal in the mainstream market relies on accelerating development through more efficient EV battery testing.
Figure 1. A technician conducts critical performance testing in an EV battery lab, ensuring safety, reliability, and efficiency during the design and development process
More efficient batteries are the critical components that make EVs go farther, and batteries will be the centerpiece for building a sustainable electrified transportation system. Without question, the EV industry aims to develop a cost-effective, energy-efficient process for battery production that improves durability, power density, and operational safety. This requires testing.
Performance testing is critical across all design, development, and manufacturing steps. Performance testing ensures that the batteries reaching the market will meet the highest quality standards for safety and operational performance (Figure 1).
Current EV battery testing involves complex, labor-intensive, costly, and time-consuming processes. This is why adopting the latest systems and technologies is critical throughout the battery design process — and essential for success. The key for battery designers is to reduce development costs while improving time-to-market by investing in end-to-end EV battery testing systems.
The need for in-house battery testing
Annual passenger electric vehicle sales reached 14.2 million units in 2023, up 35% from 10.5 million in 2022, according to Bloomberg’s Zero Emission Vehicles Factbook. That strong pace of consumer demand requires thousands of hours of battery testing and vast arrays of test equipment just to keep up.
However, even with adequate resources, lengthy testing procedures can still cause design bottlenecks and delays.
As battery technologies develop and become more advanced, the significance of testing and validation also increases during the design phase. These tests are crucial to identify design faults before moving to full production. The solution for many design laboratories is to invest in highly accurate, in-house test equipment to validate prototypes quickly.
Taking this test process in-house can also support the larger EV ecosystem by bringing the latest battery technologies to market as quickly as possible.
However, increased battery testing also generates massive volumes of data that must be efficiently managed. This is why it’s essential to include data integrity and traceability functions directly into lab operations software. Battery designers depend on modern data analysis tools in test labs to help streamline workflow management for optimal efficiency (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Advanced testing ensures that every component of an EV, from battery cells to integrated systems, meets the rigorous standards required for safety, efficiency, and performance in real-world conditions. (Image: Keysight Technologies)
Testing essentials
Below are some key essentials for improving quality while reducing time-to-market for the EV battery supply chain.
➣ Defining the core test requirements: Battery cell designers, R&D lab managers, and startup companies require flexible modular operations to formulate lean processes and quickly design high-quality battery cells. In addition, test equipment should have a compact footprint and the ability to deploy different channel configurations as cell requirements change and capacities grow.
Correcting design flaws must be fast, cost-efficient, and accurate. Test systems such as charge/discharge platforms and lifetime cell cycling equipment can be used to evaluate and verify designs quickly. This way, designers can deliver complete data sets and move on to their next changes.
➣ Identifying performance and safety concerns: Omitting non-compulsory testing can lead to undiscovered performance or safety issues. The cost of recalling a product during or after production can be extremely high. Additionally, the time it takes to address an issue can significantly delay bringing a fully operational product to market.
Reducing tests during the earlier design and production stages may feel like a shortcut to save time. But it’s a high-risk strategy that could cause extensive time-to-market delays, or product recalls if an issue is detected.
➣ Reducing operational costs: A well-organized test laboratory can drive tangible operational cost savings for the EV battery R&D sector. Some high-performance, state-of-the-art battery test systems provide up to 96% energy efficiency, while the remaining four percent of available energy can be returned to the grid for other uses.
Such advanced testing technology minimizes the operational costs of a busy R&D lab — upfront by optimizing the installation of cooling infrastructure and on an ongoing basis through a notable reduction in energy costs.
➣ Controlling complex test variables: Designers must consider many other test scenarios besides power electronics. This includes using a battery management system and a temperature/climate chamber to test prototypes under different conditions. Controlling for such variables enables test engineers to set and change values without user intervention.
Data from these additional sources must undergo evaluation during the test sequence without post-processing. The test system should display the data clearly during the test so users can gauge whether the test is working correctly or should be terminated. In this way, users can synchronize control of all components in the test environment while recording measured values and their uses as a variable during the remainder of the test sequence.
Rigorous testing and verification of battery cells for performance and safety is essential during the earliest stages of EV development. That is why developers must emulate realistic test environments to remove potential defects during the EV battery design process as early as possible. Emulation testing accelerates EV battery design to bring cells to market faster while reducing development costs.
Building greater momentum for EV transportation over the coming years will require reliable test systems that provide precise and reproducible measurement results. Design engineers depend on such comprehensive tests to create the future high-powered battery packs that will power the EV revolution. Then, the journey toward electrification can straighten out and accelerate.
Filed Under: Batteries, FAQs, Featured Contributions, Test And Measurement