22 September/October 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering because it’s extremely difficult to create a very controlled environment in the cells that enable the active materials at the anode and cathode to react in a safe and highly repeatable way. “We’ve seen that happen with chemistries like lithium sulphur, which is still being developed after 35 years, or silicon batteries which have been about 20 years in the making, or lithium metal, which was first identified in 1913. These days we have solid-state batteries, and those have been about 10 years in the making.” Affecting all of these are what Barnett calls “design rules” over which materials and their quantities can be assembled in a cell without risking cracking, outgassing, cycle failures or other problems. His experience of these rules was applied throughout Nyobolt’s r&d. “We hired a team that’s extremely experienced in cell chemistries as well as cell design, and also in high C-rate applications such as motorsport. All this understanding was zeroed-in on the central part of our technology – a novel anode material with a remarkable ability to move lithium ions between the cathode and anode quickly,” Barnett continues. “Traditional electrodes in lithium-ion batteries really aren’t made for speed at the anode, so we focused on optimising that one anode material and section of the cell. We also worked heavily on using cell designs we knew would be compatible with extremely high-rate applications. Together, that made for a battery that can be fully recharged in 6 minutes.” CALLUM collaboration As mentioned, Nyobolt has presented its technologies in the form of a complete and eye-catching EV, to show electric automotive OEMs how its products can be integrated and used in commercially and operationally viable vehicles, and to show that the company is ready for supplier-customer partnerships. However, as Nyobolt is not a vehicle designer, it sought a partner capable of covering the necessary design skills for creating such an EV. It so happens that Dr Steve Hutchins, VP of operations and engineering at Nyobolt, had previously worked at Lotus with automotive designer Julian Thomson, who headed much of Jaguar Land Rover’s styling work over the past 20 years or so, and is perhaps best known for designing the Lotus Elise S1 sportscar while serving as Lotus’ design director. At the time, Thomson was a freelance designer, but he also knew some of the key members of CALLUM, a design and engineering company specialising in creating high-end premium products, from low-volume automotive vehicles to mobility solutions, furniture and smaller lifestyle items. CALLUM develops products for market niches it has identified in-house, but also seeks collaborations with prospective partners it views as having strong potential for long-term market or industry changes. Seeing significant value in Nyobolt’s fast-charging solution, Thomson opted to present it in a modernised version of the Lotus Elise, rather than going down the simpler path of a resto-mod, to show that the technology is intended for new, batch or bulk-produced EVs rather than one-off kit integrations. But rather than attempting it alone, he contacted CALLUM for design and engineering support with developing the demonstrator. EV design and powertrain Creating the Nyobolt EV from a Lotus Elise included tuning the aesthetics, thermal management and aerodynamics. “At the outset, we started with an array of images, some quite exaggerated, Dossier | Nyobolt EV Rather than resto-mod an existing car, Nyobolt turned to Julian Thomson, who chose to modernise and reimagine his Lotus Elise design, with extensive help from CALLUM (Courtesy of Elan PR)
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