THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 029 | JAN/FEB 2025 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 Layer by layer Scaling up Assembling and validating battery cells Adaptability wins for modular systems Evice electrify the Spirit of Ecstasy Timeless classic
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64 Focus: Modular batteries Why it’s important to harmonise design and control when optimising modular battery technologies, complementing recent cell-to-pack advancements 74 PS: Multi-chemistry batteries Dual- and multi-chemistry batteries are an attractive idea, with the combinations compensating for any weaknesses, but they also take more effort and money 4 Intro A sign of a burgeoning market are premium products, highlighted by new EV stars from Rolls-Royce and Bentley 6 The Grid Vicor launches trio of autograde power modules, NXP develops ultra-wideband BMS, Wright reveals 2.5 MW electric aircraft motor, and much more 16 In conversation: John Stamford If you want to know the entire story of EVs, the best person to ask is Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced powertrain engineer 20 Dossier: Evice Rolls-Royce Corniche The Rolls-Royce film star is receiving a 21st Century overhaul with electric power and modern refinement 32 Focus: Battery cell manufacturing Getting the chemistry right in the three major phases of electrode manufacturing, cell assembly and validation 42 Show report: Battery Show USA Detroit showcased advanced technologies from 1250 organisations to over 21,000 visitors, making the 2024 event the largest in the show’s history 50 Digest: Dynisma DMG family Dynisma is cutting the time and expense involved in building and testing vehicles by achieving as much prototype development as possible with its simulators 56 Deep insight: Isolation technologies How galvanic isolation allows digital controllers to interface safely with the high-voltage systems of modern EVs 42 56 50 64 20 3 January/February 2025 | Contents E-Mobility Engineering | January/February 2025
THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 029 | JAN/FEB 2025 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 Layer by layer Scaling up Assembling and validating battery cells Adaptability wins for modular systems Evice electrify the Spirit of Ecstasy Timeless classic Innovation revolution Publisher Nick Ancell Technology Editor Nick Flaherty Production Editor Vickie Johnstone Contributors Peter Donaldson Will Gray Editorial Consultant Ian Bamsey Technical Consultants Ryan Maughan Danson Joseph Dr Nabeel Shirazee Design Andrew Metcalfe Ad Sales Please direct all enquiries to Nick Ancell nick@highpowermedia.com Tel: +44 1934 713957 Subscriptions Please direct all enquiries to Frankie Robins frankie@highpowermedia.com Tel: +44 1934 713957 Publishing Director Simon Moss Marketing & PR Manager Claire Ancell General Manager Chris Perry Office Administrator Lisa Selley Volume Seven | Issue One January/February 2025 High Power Media Limited Whitfield House, Cheddar Road, Wedmore, Somerset, BS28 4EJ, England Tel: +44 1934 713957 www.highpowermedia.com ISSN 2631-4193 Printed in Great Britain ©High Power Media All rights reserved. Reproduction (in whole or in part) of any article or illustration without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. While care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information herein, the publisher can accept no liability for errors or omissions. Nor can responsibility be accepted for the content of any advertisement. SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscriptions are available from High Power Media at the address above or directly from our website www.highpowermedia.com. Overseas copies are sent via air mail. EDITORIAL OPPORTUNITIES Do you have a strong technical knowledge of one or more aspects of e-mobility systems? As we grow we are on the lookout for experts who can contribute to these pages. If that sounds an interesting challenge then don’t hesitate to explore the possibility of writing for us by emailing ian@highpowermedia.com ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES If you are looking to promote your company to engineers active in the electrification of vehicles, we have various advertising packages available to suit your needs. With a maximum of 25% of the publication allocated to advertising we offer a unique opportunity to become one of E-Mobility Engineering’s exclusive advertising partners, ensuring you are not lost in a crowded market. To discuss the opportunities and how we can work with you to promote your company please contact Nick Ancell nick@highpowermedia.com +44 1934 713957 THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN SUBSCRIBE TODAY visit www.highpowermedia.com ALSO FROM HPM One indicator of a growing market is the addition of premium products. For the e-mobility market this is highlighted by the launch of EVs from Rolls-Royce and Bentley in the ‘ultra’ premium market. We detail how Evice have a new build approach to electrifying the Rolls Royce Corniche in our Dossier(page 20). In the Battery Show report, we feature some of the product highlights from this year’s show in Detroit (page 42). Another indicator is the breadth and innovation of the components and processes for next-generation platforms, ranging from solid-state manufacturing and modular battery packs (pages 32 and 64) to the Dynisma simulator (page 50). Combining these innovations with the latest isolation tech (page 56) and new sensors, such as those shown in Grid (page 6), can help boost the safety, efficiency and range of vehicles of all variations. Nick Flaherty Technology Editor EME Update Each month the E-Mobility Engineering e-newsletter provides a snapshot of the top stories on our website during the previous month. To keep up to date with the latest technological developments, sign up today at www.emobility-engineering.com/e-newsletter 4 Intro | January/February 2025 January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Read all back issues online www.ust-media.com UST 59 : DEC/JAN 2025 UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE €22 The god of thunder Takeoff for a heavy-lifter from Sweden More room in bed Embedded system chips shrink and gain power Ups and downs The latest on launch and recovery systems ELECTRIC, HYBRID & INTERNAL COMBUSTION for PERFORMANCE ISSUE 156 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2025 Formula One 2026 An epic reset Reinventing CNC The future is now Ramping up the thumper Buell V2 development www.highpowermedia.com UK £15, US/CN $25, EUROPE €22
MICRO-EPSILON MESSTECHNIK GmbH & Co. KG · battery@micro-epsilon.com Sensors & Applications for Battery Production Position control of battery cells After the battery cells have been assembled, laser scanners from Micro-Epsilon inspect their completeness and position. These precise profile sensors generate a 3D image which is then compared with the CAD data. Measuring the thickness of wet layers Confocal chromatic sensors from Micro-Epsilon monitor the coating thickness of wet materials. These sensors provide both extremely high resolution and high measuring rates. Installing several sensors next to each other enables concurrent determination of the homogeneity of the coating over the complete strip width. Precise thickness measurement Capacitive sensors are used for inline thickness measurements of battery films. Due to their high temperature stability, these sensors are ideal for dry coating processes. The measuring spot of the sensors is larger than those of the optical methods, which averages out any anomalies on the surface. www.micro-epsilon.com/battery CONTACT US NOW Confocal sensors Laser profile scanners Capacitive sensors
6 The Grid Trio of auto-grade power modules offer 300 combinations Vicor has developed three automotive-grade power modules that can be used in 300 combinations in 48 V EV systems, writes Nick Flaherty. They cover a bus converter from 800 V to 48 V, an unregulated 48 V to 12 V converter and a regulated 48 V powersupply module. The modules allow 800 V from the EV battery pack to a 48 V bus, which can then be converted to a regulated 48 V with another module, or to 12 V for legacy systems with the third module. “EVs have a weight problem. The weight cuts range; increases wear on tyres, safety and the design of parking structures. Designers can take this technology and implement a number of features to reduce weight by 25 kg and cost by $100,” said Greg Green, director of automotive product marketing at Vicor. Using 48 V direct from the battery pack reduces the weight of the wiring harness and this avoids the need for a separate, legacy, 12 V power bus by using the third module to provide 12 V of power if required. The module is bidirectional, so it can be used with active suspension systems to handle the high slew rate of a regenerative power load, which requires immediate current-flow reversal to pass regenerated power back to the battery. “These active suspension systems are something automakers want to have, but these are power hogs. You can’t do active suspension in 12 V systems as they take too much power, so some designers are using 400 V actuators, but 48 V allows reasonably small actuators throughout the vehicle,” said Green. “While the average power is 400-800 W, it will peak at 4 kW in microseconds, and this is where the slew rate is exactly what they needed. The module goes from requiring 4 kW to producing 4 kW, and that bi-directional feature is an attractive component.” The modules use planar transformers, zero voltage switching (VZS) and zero current switching (ZCS). The BCM6135 is a 98%-efficient, 2.5 kW BCM bus converter, which converts 800 V from the traction battery to 48 V to give a safe, extra-low voltage (SELV) power supply to the vehicle. The converter internally provides isolation between high and low voltage, which creates a large reduction in the space required for the DC-DC conversion. A power density of 158 kW/L allows for a smaller primary DC-DC converter and reduces vehicle weight. The bidirectional, rapid current, transient response rate of 8 MA/s allows the BCM6135 to replace a 25 lb 48 V battery. The PRM3735 module is a 2.5 kW PRM regulator for 48 V power that is 99.2% efficient. Its small footprint and 260 kW/L power density free up enough packaging space to supply a regulated, 48 V load. The third module, the DCM3735, is a 2 kW DC-DC converter, which takes an unregulated, 48 V input and provides a regulated, 12 V output. The module has a wide input range that is compatible with a variety of automotive applications because the output can be trimmed within a range of 8-16 V. POWER January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Three modules for 48 V of power (Image courtesy of Vicor)
The Grid 7 Researchers in the US have developed a solid-state filter for power converters that does not need a capacitor. Capacitors are one of the main points of failure in an e-mobility power system, responsible for 30% of failures in power electronics. Traditional filtering methods involve a dual inductor-capacitor (LC) cell or an inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) T-circuit, but capacitors are susceptible to wear-out mechanisms and failure modes. The development by researchers at Purdue University-Indianapolis is a single-phase, DC-AC converter with two elements. A low-frequency, H-bridge converter works with a solid-state power filter (SSPF) that is capable of generating a sinusoidal voltage output for the load. The design is suitable for applications in power-generation units for shipping where the power grid operates at 60 Hz and in aircraft where the power grid operates at 400 Hz. The power-filter design uses a high-frequency planar transformer to eliminate the need for both the LC filter and the DC-link capacitor, which enhances efficiency and reliability. Operating at 30 kHz, the H-bridge converter injects voltage harmonics to generate a sinusoidal output voltage. Theoretical analyses, simulations and experiments conducted on a 60 Hz, 120 V system demonstrated a low total harmonic distortion of 1.29%, meeting the IEEE 519 standard for the design of electrical systems that include both linear and nonlinear loads. This also defines the voltage and current waveforms that may exist throughout the system, and the limits for waveform distortion. A key focus is to reduce the size of EV chargers by integrating stray capacitance into the operation of various DC-DC converters, effectively reducing or eliminating reliance on external capacitors. To achieve this, the team is introducing a novel material, calcium copper titanate (CCTO), which is expected to enhance the stray capacitance so it can be used. The proposed transformer measures 11.5 cm long, 15 cm wide and 11.2 cm high, with a total volume of 1.93 litres, representing a significant reduction of 12.2%, compared with conventional designs with a DC-link capacitor. The research team aims to expand the concept of capacitorless topologies to a wider range of power converters. SHIPS Capacitorless solid-state power filter for single-phase DC-AC converters E-Mobility Engineering | January/February 2025 A capacitorless solid-state filter (Image courtesy of Purdue University)
The Grid Wireless BMS built with ultra-wideband tech access to vehicles, such as keyless entry, as it is short-range and more difficult to intercept than other wireless technologies. The signals do not penetrate outside the pack, avoiding interference with other wireless systems. The chips operate from 3.1-10.6 GHz with 500 MHz bands. The transceivers can be simpler than the chips used for keyless entry as the ranging and sensing functions are not needed. “Our wireless BMS system is the industry’s first to include UWB technology, offering manufacturers the most advanced technology to power tomorrow’s EVs,” said Naomi Smit, GM & VP battery management systems at NXP. “Trimension UWB delivers simple, safe and robust wireless communications within the BMS, outperforming existing narrowband-based solutions. We are proud to work with our customers to make the wireless promise a reality.” The Trimension UWB is part of NXP’s FlexCom chipset, which supports both wired and wireless BMS configurations with common software architecture and safety libraries. It will be available for evaluation and development in the second half of 2025. The FlexCom BMS chipset includes a chip for a battery junction box that provides accurate voltage and current measurements with chassis isolation. BATTERIES 8 AIRCRAFT MW-class motor electric aircraft takes off with 3300 bhp Wright Electric has finished assembling its second-generation megawatt-class motor, the WM2500, writes Nick Flaherty. The motor has been built with support from the US ARPA-E ASCEND research programme and NASA, and it is spinning freely after being assembled in December. The 2.5 MW motor has more than 3300 bhp and is specifically designed for electric aircraft engines. It has a peak power of 2 MW at 800 VDC and 2.5 MW at 1200 VDC from eight high-frequency integrated inverters, each rated to 250 kW. These use in-slot cooling to achieve efficiency of 99.5%. Running at a speed of 7,500 rpm, the motor produces 2,550 Nm of rated torque. The WM2500 is designed to replace the engine core of a jet engine, enabling existing aircraft with over 100 passengers to be converted to electric operation. It can directly drive a ducted fan or power a propellor through a single-stage gearbox, and it forms the core of a C-130 hybrid-electrification programme. This is converting a Hercules aircraft to hybrid operation with two electric engines and two conventional ones. The motor can also be used as a 4 MW class turbogenerator. The WM2500 is now undergoing testing at the Wright laboratory in Albany, US, before heading to NASA’s NEAT facility for altitude chamber testing. Propulsion test-stand testing will follow with aircraft ground and flight testing. Wright Electric has developed its own aircraft engine test cell to characterise the performance of megawatt-class electric aircraft propulsion systems using the C-130 propellors. NXP Semiconductor has developed the first battery management system (BMS) using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, writes Nick Flaherty. Using wireless connections between battery cells and the BMS in a pack simplifies assembly and enables better energy density. It also removes the weight of the wiring harness and eliminates connectors. However, many wireless BMS implementations based on narrowband radio-frequency connections at 2.4 GHz, such as Bluetooth, suffer from interference. The UWB technology developed by NXP provides higher resistance to reflections and frequency-selective fading in the pack to enable more robust and reliable transfer of cell data, such as voltage and temperature measurements. High-bandwidth pulses carry the data. UWB is already used for secure January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering UWB for battery management (Image courtesy of NXP Semiconductors) A 2.5 MW electric motor (Image courtesy of Wright Electric)
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10 Recycling cathode materials using galvanic corrosion Researchers in Korea have developed a cost-effective and eco-friendly technology for recycling cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries through a simple process within an existing cell without the need for disassembly, writes Nick Flaherty. By 2040, the number of decommissioned EVs is expected to exceed 40 million, leading to a sharp increase in waste batteries. Developing recycling technologies has thus become an urgent priority, as the metals pose a significant risk of soil and water contamination. In conventional recycling, the typical method involves crushing and processing spent batteries to create a ‘black mass’, and then extracting metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt through chemical processes. However, this requires highly concentrated chemicals, which generate wastewater, and substantial energy consumption for high-temperature furnaces. Instead, direct recycling technology recovers and restores original materials without chemical alteration. However, this can also require high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, and it involves complex procedures, making it both time-consuming and costly. The research team, led by Dr. JungJe Woo at the Gwangju Clean Energy Research Centre at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), developed a process that restores the spent cathode to its original state by immersing it in a restoration solution under ambient temperature and pressure, effectively replenishing lithium-ions. The key is galvanic corrosion, which occurs when two dissimilar materials come into contact in an electrolyte environment, leading to the selective corrosion of one metal to protect the other. The bromine in the restoration solution initiates spontaneous corrosion upon contact with the aluminium in the spent battery. Electrons are released from the corroded aluminium and transferred to the spent cathode material. To maintain charge neutrality, lithium-ions in the restoration solution are inserted into the cathode material, which restores the latter to its original state. Unlike conventional methods, which require disassembly of the spent battery, the restoration reaction occurs directly within the cell, significantly enhancing the efficiency of the recycling process. Electrochemical performance testing confirmed that the restored cathode achieved a capacity equivalent to that of new materials. “This research introduces a novel approach to restoring spent cathode materials without the need for hightemperature heat treatment or harmful chemicals,” said Dr. Jung-Je Woo. BATTERY RECYCLING January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Recycling cathodes directly (Image courtesy of KIER)
The Grid 11 SENSORS Bi-directional onboard chargers get current sensor LEM has developed a current sensor for transformerless, bi-directional, onboard chargers (OBCs), writes Nick Flaherty. The automotive-grade, residual current monitoring (RCM) sensor is the first of its kind for bi-directional OBCs with ASIL B safety rating. There has been significant growth in the use of bi-directional OBCs because they allow the end-user to use the battery pack in their car to feed another vehicle or an electrical appliance in a vehicle-to-load (V2L) design or even a home. However, designers have to consider high-voltage safety, specifically leakage monitoring and compensation, while also looking to reduce weight, improve efficiency and cut costs. The RCM sensor detects differences in current between two points, identifying such faults as short-circuits and enabling the rapid isolation of faulty sections through residual currents. These are detected and monitored. The type B RCM is suitable for complex electrical systems, especially those found in EVs with DC components, and it is capable of detecting potentially hazardous leakage currents. With a bi-directional OBC, if the DC fault current is greater than 6 mA, there is the potential to compromise the detection and tripping capabilities of a type A RCD, which could increase the risk of electric shock. This is particularly relevant for the new ISO5474 Part 2 standard for AC power transfer that operates in conjunction with ISO5474 Part 1. This covers conductive charging requirements for Modes 2 and 3, according to IEC 61851-1, reverse power transfer through onboard, standard socket outlets or EV plugs, and voltages up to 1000 V AC. Only a type B RCM can measure and detect AC and smooth DC. The sensor has been designed to meet this demand by combining best-in-class automotive grade with an accuracy of ± 0.5 mA @ 5 mA by using a patented fluxgate technology, developed by LEM. This fluxgate approach works where highly precise magnetic-field measurements are required, detecting small magnetic fields. They also offer accurate measurements of DC and lowfrequency AC magnetic fields. The sensor has a secure serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus, including dynamic fault selection, leakage value, and supply monitoring with a secured bus that ensures encrypted and authenticated data transmission between devices. “The ISO5474 Part 2 standard for AC power transfer relates to using an EV as an AC energy source. This means it is essential to have the capability of monitoring leakage currents in vehicles. The standard also dictates that V2L applications require safety protection for socket outlet usage through RCM,” said Clément Amilien, head of global product management automotive at LEM. Additive Drives uses injection-moulded copper Additive Drives has developed an injection-moulded copper process for the next generation of electric-drive busbars, writes Nick Flaherty. The development combines the best of two worlds: specialised design and mass production. Additive Drives is using the process for busbars with printed, conventional or injection-moulded parts in copper and plastic. Both simple and highly complex components will be produced in high volumes of tens of millions per year. Copper powder is combined with an organic binder to work with existing injection-moulding machines. A value of 100% International Annealed Copper Standard (IACS) electrical conductivity corresponds to 58 MS/m at a temperature of 20 C. After injection moulding, the processed copper achieves a conductivity of up to 01%. Other physical properties, such as density or thermal conductivity, are very close to those of conventionally drawn copper. For electrical machine designers, this process enables the integration of functional elements such as press-fit nuts, connectors or thermal sensors, as well as minimising volume and avoiding hotspots. The process can also add plastic parts and insulation with a rating up to a temperature of 240 C, as well as contacts coated with silver or nickel to reduce assembly steps and save costs. Initial studies suggest copper mass can be reduced by at least 40%, compared with conventional busbar designs. BUSBARS E-Mobility Engineering | January/February 2025 A transformless current sensor for onboard charging (Image courtesy of LEM)
12 Technical consultants Ryan Maughan is an award-winning engineer and business leader with more than 20 years’ experience in the High-Performance, Heavy-Duty and Off-Highway Automotive markets. Prominent in the development of Power Electronics, Electric Motors and Drives (PEMD) for these demanding applications, he has successfully founded, scaled and exited three businesses in the electric vehicle space. He is currently CEO of eTech49 Limited, an advisory business specialising in disruptive hardware technology in PEMD. In addition, he is Chairman of EV North, an industry group representing the booming EV industry in the north of England, a board member of the North East LEP and an adviser to a number of corporations. Danson Joseph has had a varied career in the electrical power industry, having worked in areas ranging from systems engineering of photovoltaic powerplants to developing the battery packs for Jaguar Land Rover’s I-Pace SUV. With a PhD in electrical machines from the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa, Danson has focused on developing battery systems for automotive use. After completing the I-Pace project he formed Danecca, a battery development company with a focus on prototyping and small-scale production work, as well as testing and verifying cells and packs destined for mass production. Dr Nabeel Shirazee graduated from Leicester University in 1990, where he studied electrical and electronic engineering. An MSc in magnetic engineering followed at Cardiff University, where he continued his studies, earning a PhD and developing a permanent magnetic lifting system that has been patented by the university. His interest in magnetics led to a patented magnetic levitation system that was awarded the World’s No 1 Invention prize at INPEX in the USA. In 1999, he founded Electronica, a magnetics research and design consultancy. Since then, he has been involved in various projects, including the design of an actuator motor for a British aerospace company. He has also licensed the levitation technology in France. Ryan Maughan Danson Joseph Dr Nabeell Shiirazee Researchers in the US have developed a solid-state lithium-air battery cell with a potential energy density of 1000 Wh/kg (writes Nick Flaherty). The capacity is potentially four times that of the current lithium-ion battery technology used in heavy-duty vehicles such as aircraft, trains and submarines. The electrolyte is a mix of polymer and ceramic materials that takes advantage of the ceramics’ high ionic conductivity and the high stability and high interfacial connection of the polymer. The electrolyte is based on Li10GeP2S12 nanoparticles embedded in a polyethylene oxide polymer matrix. The result allows for the critical reversible reaction that enables the battery to function – lithium dioxide formation and decomposition – to occur at high rates at room temperature. It is the first demonstration of this in a lithium-air battery. “We found that solid-state electrolyte contributes around 75% of the total energy density,” said Mohammad Asadi, Assistant Professor of chemical engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology. “That tells us there is a lot of room for improvement, because we believe we can minimise that thickness without compromising performance, which would allow us to achieve a very high energy density.” Prof Asadi said he plans to work with industry partners to optimise the battery’s design and engineer it for manufacturing. The prototype cell is rechargeable for 1000 cycles with a low polarisation gap, and it can operate at high rates. BATTERIES Lithium-air’s quadruple potential The Grid March/April 2023 | E-Mobility Engineering 11 Coreless technology shrinks current sensor Melexis has used a digitally controlled, coreless technology that shrinks the size of a current sensor, writes Nick Flaherty. The MLX91235 sensor eliminates the need for a ferromagnetic core, enabling the measurement of larger currents flowing through external primary conductors, including busbars. The MLX91235 is smaller than typical sensors and eliminates hysteresis-related measurement errors. The differential measurement of the magnetic field between two internal sensing elements provides accurate current feedback. With a 500 kHz bandwidth and 2 μs response time, the sensor is suitable for high-speed applications, such as motorcontrol and converter applications. It offers more precise and sophisticated compensation, resulting in a more accurate, smoother output. Calibration is configured via a standard, serial peripheral interface (SPI), allowing this in-situ via any microcontroller unit. Built-in, 16 bit, over-current detection (OCD) allows for asymmetric thresholds and includes two configurable ranges. It has a configurable detection time with a minimum duration of 2 μs and an optional debounce strategy, which helps to avoid false positives in harsher electromagnetic compatibility environments. The MLX91235 is ISO 26262-compliant as an ASIL B Safety Element out of Context. This goes beyond the ASIL B requirements with a built-in selftest (BIST) that can be triggered via the SPI interface, enabling the report of temperature, under-voltage and mechanical stress. The Grid January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering
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6th EV Charging Infrastructure Summit – North America, East Tuesday 28 – Wednesday 29 January Atlanta, USA www.smartgridobserver.com/EV-Summit-Atlanta 2nd Annual Electric Vehicle Battery and Recycling Forum Wednesday 26 – Thursday 27 February Amsterdam, Netherlands www.leadventgrp.com/events Embedded World Tuesday 11 – Thursday 13 March Nuremberg, Germany www.embedded-world.de 3rd European Automotive Decarbonization and Sustainability Summit Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 March Dusseldorf, Germany www.ecv-events.com European Automotive Circular Economy Summit Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 March Dusseldorf, Germany www.ecv-events.com Global Decarbonization Expo Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 March Paris, France www.globaldecarbonizationexpo.com EV Charging Summit & Expo Tuesday 25 – Thursday 27 March Las Vegas, USA www.evchargingsummit.com Battery Tech Expo Wednesday 26 – Thursday 27 March Silverstone, UK www.batterytechexpo.co.uk Battery Conference Tuesday 1 – Thursday 3 April Aachen, Germany battery-power.eu/en Vehicle2Grid Wednesday 2 – Thursday 3 April Aachen, Germany www.vehicle-2-grid.eu The Battery Show South Wednesday 16 – Thursday 17 April Atlanta, USA www.thebatteryshowsouth.com Advanced Clean Transportation Expo Monday 28 April – Thursday 1 May Anaheim, USA www.actexpo.com PCIM Europe Tuesday 6 – Thursday 8 May Nurember, Germany www.pcim.mesago.com GEMTECH Forum Tuesday 13 – Wednesday 14 May Riyadh, Saudi Arabia www.gemtechforum.com CWIEME 2025 Tuesday 3 – Thursday 5 June Berlin, Germany www.berlin.cwiemeevents.com The Battery Show Europe Tuesday 3 – Thursday 5 June Stuttgart, Germany www.thebatteryshow.eu iVT Expo Europe Wednesday 11 – Thursday 12 June Cologne, Germany www.ivtexpo.com 14 January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering
38th International Electric Vehicle Symposium Sunday 15 – Wednesday 18 June Gothenburg, Sweden www.evs38.org MOVE Wednesday 18 – Thursday 19 June London, UK www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/move ITEC 2025 Wednesday 18 – Friday 20 June Anaheim, USA www.itec-conf.com Foam Expo North America Tuesday 24 – Thursday 26 June Novi, USA www.foam-expo.com Adhesives & Bonding Expo North America Tuesday 24 – Thursday 26 June Novi, USA www.adhesivesandbondingexpo.com Vehicle Electrification Expo Tuesday 8 – Thursday 10 July Birmingham, UK www.ve-expo.com Battery Cells & Systems Expo Wednesday 9 – Thursday 10 July Birmingham, UK www.batterysystemsexpo.com The Battery Show Asia Tuesday 15 – Thursday 17 July Hong Kong www.thebatteryshow.asia 7th EV Charging Infrastructure Summit – North America: West Monday 21 – Wednesday 23 July San Diego, USA www.smartgridobserver.com/EV-Summit-Chicago2025 iVT Expo Wednesday 20 – Thursday 21 August Chicago, USA www.ivtexpo.com/usa Cenex Expo Wednesday 3 – Thursday 4 September Millbrook, UK www.cenex-expo.com IAA Mobility Tuesday 9 – Sunday 14 September Munich, Germany www.iaa-mobility.com The Battery Show North America Monday 6 – Thursday 9 October Detroit, USA www.thebatteryshow.com Adhesives & Bonding Mexico Wednesday 15 – Friday 17 October Mexico City, Mexico www.adhesivesandbondingexpo-mexico.com Automotive Testing Expo Tuesday 21 – Thursday 23 October Novi, USA www.testing-expo.com The Battery Show India Thursday 30 October – Saturday 1 November Greater Noida, India www.thebatteryshowindia.com London EV Show Wednesday 12 – Thursday 13 November London, UK www.londonevshow.com Productronica Tuesday 18 – Friday 21 November Munich, Germany www.productronica.com 15 Diary E-Mobility Engineering | January/February 2025
16 January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering The advanced powertrain chief engineer of Jaguar Land Rover got into EVs before EVs were even a thing. He tells Will Gray how far things have come Green guru If you want to understand the evolution of electric vehicles (EVs), there are few better to speak to than Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced powertrain chief engineer, John Stamford. Having started his career developing ECUs for diesel engines, he got involved in EV development before EVs became a thing. The initial technologies he worked on achieved marginal gains, but they sowed the seeds for the future, and he has been involved in almost every generation of the EV evolution since. “I’ve seen a lot of things come and go, and throughout that whole story, battery technology is what has paced development,” he says. “The electronics systems were there early on, although their integration and other ancillary systems have improved. The motor and inverter technology has been adapted, and applied more appropriately, but it’s the batteries that really underpin the whole journey and they are still not where they need to be just yet.” Like many engineers, Stamford’s formative years were spent building with Lego and Meccano, but that gave way to a passion for electronics. Inspired by the early computers and electronic kits that his maths teacher father brought home for him to investigate, along with the Open University programmes he bookended his days with on BBC2, Stamford built a cathode ray oscilloscope in his early teens. Later, he secured a place at Newcastle University to study electronics, and it was here that his research and development skills were honed, with him building a dyno and control system from scratch in the basement. “We had been gifted an engine, but we had to set up all the systems around it,” he says. “We replaced the existing standard engine management system with our own improved sequential-injection version, and spent a lot of time getting that operational. I’ve always been very practical and my ability to visualise good solutions has been with me from the early days.” Stamford’s first job, working on ways to replace mechanical fuel systems with electrical solutions on Perkins’ diesel engines, was a world away from the EV industry, but it opened his eyes to what could be possible and to the disadvantages of fossil fuels. Having seen the opportunity, he moved to Wavedriver in 1997, where he was involved in developing an electric bus for the 2000 Olympics. It worked, to a point, but it demonstrated the shortcomings in the area at the time. “The world wasn’t ready for electric vehicles back then,” he recalls. “They had lead acid batteries, induction motors and an advanced inverter/ charger drive, but although they put their system into many different vehicles, all the ancillary systems that normally run off the engine weren’t electrified, so we ended up having additional motors driving belts, running compressors and pumps, and they just sat there, on most of the time, consuming energy and reducing range.” Stamford soon returned to the diesel world, joining Motorola to lead the development of its ECUs for heavy Dyson battery electric vehicle (Image courtesy of Dyson)
17 John Stamford | In conversation E-Mobility Engineering | January/February 2025 Racing innovation In 2007, when Formula One began discussing plans for hybrid technology, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains hired Ricardo on a consultancy basis to help build its knowledge base. Soon after, it took on Stamford as head of electronics. In 2009, the optional use of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) was introduced, with four teams – including McLaren Mercedes – putting it to use, but only at certain circuits where it offered enough benefit. Having experimented with Flybrid’s flywheel approach and other tech, Mercedes opted for a more traditional system with a maximum permitted power of 60 kW. Its system was the first to win, in Hungary, but the marginal laptime benefits did not justify the investment for many and the system was dropped for a season, before returning in 2011. Mercedes focused on reducing size and weight, and it used improved transistors and in-house power modules, working closely with battery suppliers to boost the power density of the cells by optimising the chemical, electrical and mechanical aspects of the cell. At the same time, the company wanted to quickly apply EV technology in a roadcar project and this led to the creation of the SLS AMG Electric Drive, for which Stamford was made chief engineer of the battery technology. The car was designed with four 150 kW electric motors, one in each corner, and a 60 kWh battery using innovative pouch-cell technology. The system was packaged in the engine compartment and the transmission tunnel, and the car beat its ICE equivalent in a straight line, although it lost out on a lap of the legendary Nürburgring circuit due to its weight. “Mainstream developments were taking five or six years, but the race team was able to do it much more quickly,” he recalls. “It was a really exciting project because we were pushing cell and battery technology hard, as well as developing advanced battery management features. It was a combined energy and power requirement, because it needed to have both the power and range, which we were aiming to get north of 250 km.” Even at that point, the EV landscape was still fairly intermittent. Interest in early prototypes had waned, but companies were starting to believe EVs were on the cusp again and many were starting to conduct market testing. A number of different offerings started to appear on the market, but they were not seeing much take-up. When Formula One doubled down on energy recovery systems – literally duty vehicles, and shifting focus from specifying ECUs to designing and manufacturing them. He spent the next four years innovating in the ECU design space, mainly on control systems in high-temperature and high-vibration operating environments, but when the company chose to relocate to Germany, he stayed in the UK and joined an old boss at Ricardo. It was there that Stamford set about establishing the Ricardo electronics group, most notably developing the Bugatti Veyron dual-clutch transmission-control unit. Following the project’s successful conclusion, he returned to the EV space, developing hybrid innovations for various OEMs. In the short time since leaving Wavedriver, technology had moved on and minor fuel-efficiency gains were to be had, firstly with what Stamford calls “micro hybrids”, which use the alternator as a battery starter generator, and then with more powerful “mild and full hybrids”, which provided limited amounts of electric-only operation. This work attracted the attention of Chinese OEMs, including Cherry, but Stamford recalls: “The electronics and drive systems were there, but people hadn’t really integrated them. The batteries were improving, and were adapted to be less about cold cranking amps and more about accepting and delivering energy, but in those early days it was all about the application and learning about the technology. “There were no real voltage standards for the mild, hybrid systems – some were 48 V, some hundreds of volts – while the drive components, consisting of IGBTs [insulated-gate bipolar transistors], capacitors and transient suppressors, as well as battery management systems, and the control software and systems that go around those devices, needed progressing in terms of integration and diagnostics. There was a huge amount of learning about what was important at a system level.” John Stamford It was a really exciting project… we were pushing cell and battery technology hard, and developing advanced battery management features
18 In conversation | John Stamford doubling the power to 120 kW and adding a turbocharger heat-recovery system, the MGU-H, to the kinetic system, which was renamed MGU-K – Stamford returned and developed a system he recalls as being “quite a work of art”. The entire system was the size of two shoeboxes, sat beneath the driver. He explains: “The integration of all the electronics in a volume-efficient package was really ahead of its time. It was running at high voltages, and we started to introduce more efficient silicon-carbide switches and new battery management systems. I believe the Mercedes ERS system was the envy of the field, and contributed significantly to the powertrain and team’s success in winning Formula One world championships.” So, did any of that technology truly transition from Formula One into roadcars? “Absolutely,” says Stamford. “The Formula One technology was expensive, but while they wouldn’t directly transition to the roadcar space, the concepts, the thinking and some of the integration did migrate, and now high-efficiency, high-speed electric machines and integrated high-voltage systems are seeing the light of day in many roadcars. “We also did a lot of work on both the roadcar and Formula One projects on electric shock and fire hazards. We set fire to lots of batteries – deliberately, I might add – and had some issues we weren’t expecting. The philosophy in Formula One is to push it until it breaks, then back off a bit, so by doing that with batteries we learned an awful lot about failure mechanisms.” Taking things forward Stamford left Formula One in 2017, to join Dyson as head of engineering on a roadcar project. The aim was to adapt in-house motor and battery tech for the slowly establishing EV market, with innovations such as 800 V architecture, battery switching to allow access to all chargers and a 600 mile range. But, ultimately, the project was doomed. “James Dyson had invested a lot in electric motors and batteries, and he wanted to benefit from the economies of scale in that space,” he recalls. “I brought in an understanding of what was necessary to meet legislative, safety and performance requirements, and deliver those in terms of an integrated battery, motor and power electronics solution.” However, just as the first prototype systems became operational, Dyson decided EVs were not for him. “It came as quite a surprise to us all,” recalls Stamford. “He had his eye on Tesla, which hadn’t at that time made any money, and as the magnitude of the programme became clearer, some OEMs were announcing plans to electrify, so stealing a march early was not going to be so significant.” Stamford was then snapped up by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) to work on its electric and hybrid powertrains. There, he influenced work on 800 V architectures, silicon-carbide switches and in-housing key technologies, and he began to take on the task of improving component integration; latterly leading JLR’s advanced powertrain development team, based out of NAIC at Warwick University’s campus. “In the most recent generation of EVs, there are still four electric domains,” Stamford says. “There is the battery, the electric drive units, the charging and DC-to-DC converters, and the heaters and air-conditioning systems that all run off high-voltage circuits, but they’re all quite disparate, and all those enclosures, harnesses, connectors, cooling and safety systems that surround those components cost a lot of money. “Trying to integrate those components was the obvious next step. I think packaging and integration will see huge development. Ultimately, there will be two high-voltage domains going forward: the battery and EDU. If we can avoid lots of different high-voltage domains, it’s much easier to move electricity around internally inside an enclosure than it is between domains, where you’ve got to shield and protect it. “As you don’t charge and drive at the same time, you’ve got high-value power electronics in the inverter and a lot of high-power inductors in the electric motors, so there are opportunities to reuse the electronics and avoid duplicating them. That’s where the advantage comes; not just in the physical integration of the different components, but also in technical integration and reusing components for multiple purposes.” January/February 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering A sub-assembly for a plug-in hybrid system that Stamford worked on at JLR (Image courtesy of JLR)
19 Future technologies Stamford explored some of those efficiency gains while at Jaguar, whose electric racing team recently became Formula E World Champions, and he says: “Some of the racing stuff is really interesting still, as the competition keeps driving progress – both in Formula E and Formula One. At Jaguar, I had a good review of their Formula E systems and made a few suggestions around the application of some of the technology in the racecars. “The power electronics and motors are all open for development in Formula E, and it is really an energy formula, so it’s all about using the joules sensibly and efficiently. They have to be very careful how and when they apply the finite energy through the race, and that is a strategy discussion that encourages efficiency development, because if you’ve got the best technology and waste the least energy, you are in a better position to use the finite battery energy for performance.” Achieving that, says Stamford, is not only the key to better efficiency, but also a great way to reduce the cost of EVs and accelerate their transition into the mainstream. However, that is not the only area of development he sees as being important in the coming years – with system redundancy, battery health transparency and range acceptance all taking high priority on his industry to-do list. “Autonomous driving is on the way, so we need to avoid the potential for single-point failure modes that can take out all the systems on the car,” he explains. “That will be crucial, and to do that we need to think how the high-voltage systems are architected to give redundancy, ensure they are always available, and have a suitable backup system or fail-safe if a problem happens when you have your feet off, hands off and eyes off the controls. “We are at the point now where EVs are just about reaching a cost parity with ICE, but the resale value is still hurting EVs, and I feel battery health needs to be more transparent. You could have a car that has done 10,000 miles, but has a battery that is at the end of its life, or a car that has done 100,000 miles and has a good battery that will last for a long time, and you just don’t really know by reading the odometer. Providing transparency of battery health will help, but I think that will scare quite a few companies. “When it comes to range, adding battery to increase range costs weight, dollars and volume. So, I wonder, have we got to an acceptable range number now? And the key thing is about being able to charge quickly when necessary. Ultimately, that is more cost-effective than adding extra battery capacity, because driving around with an expensive battery that you don’t use the majority of the time is not sensible. That’s an interesting development area. “Batteries will keep evolving too. They improve by about 3.5% every year and I think that will continue. My view is that solid state batteries will come in and follow a very similar evolutionary trend to the existing NCM cells. Solid state cells do have more packaging potential if you can reduce the safety zones, which will allow much tighter physical integration, lower weight and improve energy density, putting more energy into a fixed volume within the car.” Ultimately, Stamford believes the benefits of EVs will truly start to be felt once the entire electrification of our day-to-day world takes shape, led by the passenger car market, followed by the high environmental-impact two- and three-wheeler applications, and then moving more into heavy-duty applications. Charging infrastructure is still an Achilles heel in the adoption of EV technologies and Stamford believes DC charging will dominate in the near future, even for home charging. Eventually, with solar panels on rooftops and heat pumps powering indoor climates, the car will not just be a car; it will also take on the function of a power source. Developing the infrastructure to make this possible is, arguably, top of the priority list. “You potentially have two sets of 100 kWh batteries on your drive, and the technology is now able to export that energy to support the home and grid,” he says. “That will allow smart energy management in the house, and as we move to the green energies of wind and solar, which are not consistent in their availability, EVs will play a major part in balancing all those things in a more cost-effective way. And that’s going to be the real revolution.” E-Mobility Engineering | January/February 2025 The drive system of the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-CELL (Image courtesy of Mercedes-Benz)
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