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Tag: Electric Vehicles News

3 Industry-Leading Applications of Structural Batteries

 

Massless Battery

Image Credit: Yen Strandqvist/Chalmers University of Technology.

Long before Elon Musk announced that Tesla was looking to integrate batteries into the car’s structure itself to reduce the weight of energy storage, researchers were already developing structural battery solutions. What does it mean to have a “massless” battery, and what are the possible applications for this type of battery?

What are structural batteries?

Batteries can often be the singular heaviest part of a machine; in electric vehicles, battery packs can make up 25% of the entire mass. In mobile applications like vehicles or drones, this means that significant energy is used to carry the battery pack as well. Unlike fuel, which burns away and makes the vehicle lighter over time, batteries maintain their full weight and thus do not spend energy as efficiently.

This obstacle is what structural batteries hope to address. In theory, these types of batteries double as an integral load-bearing part of the machine itself. They are also dubbed “massless” batteries as they do not add any extra mass to the device or machine outside of the necessary structural elements. For instance, Tesla hopes to make the battery pack the floor of the car itself, eliminating the need for a separate car floor to house the heavy batteries.

What materials are used for massless batteries?

Unlike current batteries that are held within a protective battery pack casing, structural batteries must withstand weight independently. For this reason, they need to be made out of much more rigid and sturdy materials. A common choice among structural battery researchers is carbon fiber. It is not only a strong material that can uphold the integrity of a structure; it is also a favorable material for battery anodes due to its high ion-carrying capacity.

Although structural batteries have been under development since the 2000s, there has yet to be a viable rendition. The latest version of a massless battery, developed by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, was ten times better than previous ones. Yet at an energy density of just 24 wh/kg, it has only 20% of a lithium-ion battery’s capacity. There is still some way to go, but the technology is certainly promising.

Applications and benefits of structural batteries

  • Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles, from cars and trucks to ships and planes, would greatly benefit from structural batteries. As previously mentioned, vehicle battery packs take up a lot of weight. Integrating energy storage into the structure itself will increase the range capacity of a vehicle, as extra energy is not needed  to carry the non-load bearing battery packs. This energy savings would especially be valuable for larger vehicles like cargo trucks and even planes, as it can help address range anxiety.

  • Robotics

Another exciting application for structural batteries is robotics. Like EVs, batteries for robotics can often constitute 20% of the space or mass of a robot, limiting the designs of robots.

Robotics researchers have been exploring how to integrate the battery into the robot’s anatomy, designing biomorphic batteries that in some ways borrow their concept from energy storage in animals. Basing their research on the way fat tissues store energy throughout the body, scientists are developing ways to distribute energy storage throughout the robot.  These types of structural batteries could potentially be used in applications such as body prosthetics as well as flexible or soft robotics.

  • Medicine and Microelectronics

Microelectronics is also a promising application for structural batteries, especially in medical applications and implants. Structural batteries will allow manufacturers to design these devices in even smaller formats. Battery-powered devices like pacemakers or hearing aids could be redesigned to be more comfortable and more seamlessly integrated into the body.

How battery testing can support research

High-quality, customizable battery testing technology can support the research and development of structural batteries. Arbin’s Regenerative Battery Testing Series, for instance, can test batteries according to a drive cycle, mimicking how a battery would be used in real life. This can provide scientists with a more accurate snapshot of the capabilities of a battery, facilitating and accelerating the testing and development process. Contact us to find out more.

The Clean Energy Shift

The US renewable energy industry has been growing steadily in the past two decades. From 2000 to 2018, renewable energy grew 100% and in 2020, renewable sources made up 11.4% of the country’s energy source. With the government’s new initiative for the power-sector to be decarbonized by 2035, the shift towards clean energy will most definitely accelerate. Here’s what this change could look like in the coming years.

Electrification across the board

For decarbonization to be successful, there must be cooperation from peoples across all levels of society; industries, corporations, and households all have a role to play.

Transportation, one of the biggest contributors to carbon pollution, continues to be at the forefront of electrification. With more and more EV models across the price spectrum debuting on the market, there is increasing enticement for drivers to make the switch to EVs. Many cities across the country are also taking initiative to replace public buses with electric alternatives, further facilitating the decarbonization of transportation. Delivery services like FedEx and UPS are also acquiring electric vehicles to slowly electrify their fleets.

Buildings and homes will soon also become more and more electrified, with gas-powered appliances such as furnaces and water heaters replaced with electric ones. With studies showing that home gas-powered appliances such as stoves increase indoor air pollution, more people are willing to switch to induction stoves and other alternatives.

While the upfront cost of replacing technology with electric versions can be high, studies have found that they are certainly more cost-efficient in the long run.

Supportive Infrastructure

Speaking of electrification, there has to be sufficient and resilient infrastructure to support it. One of the most important foundations is a modernized grid coupled with energy storage. With the, at times, erratic availability of renewable sources such as solar and wind, storage is an important addition to the grid to ensure a consistent supply of electricity. It is estimated that at least 3.6 gigawatts of battery storage will be installed in 2021, significantly adding to grid resilience and increasing the ability to consolidate and integrate multiple energy sources. 

Expanding electric vehicle charging facilities is also crucial in creating an EV-friendly environment, further encouraging carbon-emission free options such as light-rails or bicycle paths.These options also contribute to decarbonization and encouraging clean and green commute options. 

Localization energy generation

One of the advantages of renewable energy is that most anyone can contribute to its generation. Solar PV is one of the easiest ways for homes and businesses to adopt renewable energy on their own. 2019 and 2020 saw a boom in the deployment of residential solar panels. The installation of home residential energy storage continues to steadily increase and is expected to grow six-fold by 2025. This shows that individuals are open to taking clean energy into their own hands and do what they can to decarbonate their own homes. Updating to a modern two-way grid will also allow individual homes and buildings to contribute to energy production and sell electricity back to the grid, facilitating a local and resilient grid system.

What role is Arbin playing in the clean energy revolution?

Arbin continuously provides high quality test equipment made for grid storage applications, EV applications, and more. 

 

Is EV fast-charging finally viable?

The availability of fast-charging will be one of the biggest drivers for electric vehicle adoption. Current public direct current chargers can charge a vehicle up to 80% in half-an-hour to an hour — still quite a long time compared with the few minutes it takes to refuel an ICE vehicle. Multiple manufacturers and developers are now working to make fast-charging possible. Is technology finally ready to rapid charge electric vehicle batteries?

How fast is fast?

Depending on the battery as well as the charger, charging a typical 60kWh EV battery can range from 30 minutes to 8 hours. In urban areas where cars can be charged at home or in commercial car parks, this may not seem such a hassle, as cars can be charged while at work or overnight at home. However, in places where chargers may be few and far between, this number can be discouraging.

Across the industry, researchers and manufacturers are trying to bring down charging times to at least ten minutes, with some ambitious ones aiming for five-minutes; The latter rate would put charging EVs on par with refuelling traditional cars. 

Why has fast charging been difficult to pin down?

Being electro-chemical cells, a battery’s stability is determined by multiple factors such as materials, temperature, usage, etc. If not taken care of well, a battery can deteriorate and become obsolete very quickly; fast-charging could accelerate this deterioration process.

A study from the University of California, Riverside conducted an experiment that found just this. After charging battery cells using the industry’s standard procedure for fast-charging EVs, they found that battery capacity reduced by as much as 40% after just 40 charge cycles. An EV battery is considered end-of-life below 80% capacity, so they found that cells were practically unusable after 25 cycles. After 60 cycles, the cells even split open.

Why is this the case? Fast-charging rapidly increases the internal resistance of a cell, which means that the usable capacity of a battery decreases. One reason for this is the build up of lithium plating, the process where lithium attaches itself to the anode and can be detrimental to the cell’s integrity. Moreover, when charging power increases, the heat inside increases as well. This leads to a build up of gas, causing the battery to swell, eventually leading to fire or explosion.

What is being done to make fast-charging possible?

Because of these reasons, changes have to be made on multiple fronts to make fast-charging viable. One method to accomplish this is by replacing certain materials within the cell. 

In order to create their fast charging battery, Israeli company, StoreDot, focused on updating battery chemistry to support it. Most common lithium-ion batteries use a graphite anode. The company used germanium-based nano-particles which helped to address issues in safety, battery cycle life, and swelling. The battery design has been tested with consumer products, drones, and two-wheeled EVs. StoreDot has also manufactured cells to demonstrate the fast-charging capabilities on electric cars. 

Another ongoing fast-charging project is from Penn State engineers who designed a lithium iron phosphate battery that can charge in just 10 minutes. The battery makes use of a self-heating approach to heat the battery up to 140 degrees fahrenheit in order to facilitate the charging process. Researchers also designed the battery with low-cost materials in order to make them mass market-friendly.

With continuous improvement in battery and charging technology, EV fast-charging may soon be widely available. While there still has to be other changes such as building infrastructure to support fast charging, this is step closer to decarbonizing transportation. 

Find out more about how Arbin assists in the Electric Vehicle revolution here.

 

The Advantages and Challenges of Urban Air Mobility

While electrifying road vehicles – cars, buses, bikes – are widely talked about, one type of EV is slowly paving its way into the world: eVTOL or electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles. Like a helicopter, eVTOLs do not require a runway to land or takeoff, making it a good option for cities with a lack of wide open space. Los Angeles recently announced the Urban Air Mobility Partnership, a project that aims to establish an air taxi system, expanding the city’s transportation network and options. Other urban metropolises like Paris and London are also exploring the possibility of urban air mobility (UAM). What are cities set to gain from air taxis?

Why invest in upward air mobility?

Air taxis are envisioned as an alternative for inter-city or intra-city traveling, providing a faster, and hopefully more efficient, alternative to land travel. They are not meant to replace airplanes, but mainly focus on short distance trips.

There are a couple of advantages to this. First, this would hopefully reduce the amount of vehicles on roads, alleviating traffic congestion and moving some of it to the skies. This would then create a ripple effect, decreasing the noise and carbon emissions from vehicles, promoting a cleaner city.

Considering the environmental benefits, why not just invest more on electric public transportation like buses or trams? Another benefit of eVTOLs is that extensive infrastructure does not need to be in place for it to be adopted. Electric road vehicles would need charging stations, or overhead wiring to power or charge vehicles on the go – major undertakings for big cities. However, with eVTOLs, only transportation hubs need to be built, with no need to build roads or tracks to support it. 

With access to fast and efficient mobility, UAM could potentially help decrease the population density of a city by encouraging people to move to the surrounding suburban areas and offering them quick ways to travel into the city for work.

The challenges ahead for Urban Air Mobility

As with any new technology or systems, there are challenges still to be overcome with urban air mobility. For instance, the safety of eVTOL technology needs to be proven to the public. While air travel does have a much lower accident rate than road travel, there are also many more risks involved. Especially as companies wish for these vehicles to be automated and work without the presence of a pilot. It might be a long while before enough trust can be built between this technology and its user.

Air traffic is also much more heavily regulated than road traffic, meaning that policies and regulations need to be ironed out and tested before this type of transportation can be safely opened to the public. Routes that will not disrupt airport traffic, for example, would need to be worked out.

Unlike cars, air taxis would not be able to take people directly point-to-point. Rather, it would be from one station to another. This means that integration between different modes of transport would need to be implemented in order to create an efficient and seamless travel experience. Otherwise, it would seem less convenient to travel by air only to have to switch vehicles to get to your final destination. 

It is undeniable that electric vehicles are the future of transportation. With the rapid rate at which technology is improving, flying cars could soon be a normal fixture across a city’s skyline in the next 5 to 10 years.

30th Anniversary- Celebrating the Past and Looking Towards the Future

Link to Podcast
This year will mark a big milestone for Arbin Instruments, as the leader in the battery and energy storage testing space will turn 30.
“Arbin’s customers come back because they know their sales engineer and the support team and the product team, and everyone is going to give them their 100% to make sure they have the reliable testing equipment that they need and the most innovative product they need to continue with their research,” Price said.
Learn more how Arbin can help you in your battery testing needs.

5 Criteria to Assess Battery Materials

With researchers testing different materials for a fresh take on the battery, how should we assess whether a certain material is a viable option? Integrating materials like silicon, graphene, and even sodium into battery chemistries is currently being studied. Here are 5 factors to consider when assessing whether a certain battery material is feasible.

  • Material cost

Material costs greatly affect the feasibility of using a certain material within batteries. With batteries so heavily relied upon nowadays, and demand only continuing to grow, choosing the right materials to keep prices low is imperative.

In 2010, a lithium-ion battery pack cost more than USD1000/kwh. This dropped significantly to USD156/kwh by 2019, and is projected to drop below USD100/kwh in the coming years.

The reducing cost of the battery has allowed more and more people to buy into batteries as a permanent energy solution for large applications such as electric vehicles or grid storage, facilitating the shift towards clean energy.

However, certain materials commonly used within lithium-ion batteries contribute to the high cost of the battery. For instance, cobalt is pricey and its cost tends to fluctuate due to limited supply and high demand. The case is similar for nickel. As the supply of these metals tend to be concentrated in certain parts of the world -- the Democratic Republic of Congo for cobalt, and Indonesia for nickel -- their prices would be dependent on the export policies of these countries.

  • Abundance and sustainability

The abundance and supply of a material not only affects its price but also long-term sustainability. Some analysts predict that the supply of the rare metals used in current batteries could deteriorate in just a few years. Industry insiders project that there would be a shortage of cobalt by 2022. In order to support the increasing demand for batteries, researchers are searching for alternatives.

One such alternative is sodium. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element on earth -- comparatively, lithium is the 25th. This means the sodium is a strong rival to lithium in terms of long-term availability. The sodium-ion battery is potentially cheaper and easier to produce than its lithium-ion counterpart, though there is still much to improve upon before it becomes a solid contender in terms of energy density.

For now, graphite is the preferred anode material, but much research is being put into silicon as a cheaper alternative. Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust, making it a good choice for future batteries.

  • Material deterioration

However, just because a material is abundant, it doesn’t mean it is necessarily suitable to use in a battery. While silicone is a favored substitute, many researchers have found that silicon tends to deteriorate quickly when used in a battery. Although its capacity is theoretically higher than graphite, the silicon anode tends to swell almost 300% when receiving ions. This causes the anode to crack and deteriorate, thus quickly reducing the energy density of the battery.

Different materials react differently in different combinations. For instance, although energy dense, pure lithium metal reacts negatively with the electrolyte and promotes the growth of dendrites as ions deposit unevenly on the surface of the anode. When assessing battery materials, its reactivity and long-term performance needs to be taken into consideration.

  • Safety

The safety of the battery is a key concern. The dendrites formed inside the battery could potentially pierce the separator and cause the battery to short-circuit. Moreover, although lithium-ion batteries are generally stable, they have also been known to catch fire or combust when damaged. This is largely due to the flammability of the liquid electrolyte used inside the battery. Semi-aqueous or solid-state electrolytes are viable replacements to create a safer battery.

  • Environmental impact

In large quantities, certain materials are toxic to the environment. Cobalt and nickel are currently being used in lithium-ion batteries, however there are long-term environmental impacts associated with them, especially without proper disposal or recycling measures. 

With the large number of batteries reaching end-of-life and being disposed of, heavy metals can accumulate and pose a safety hazard to people and the environment. If improperly disposed, these heavy metals can leak into the ground and water supply and affect the health of people and animals.

How materials are extracted from the environment and the effect this has should also be taken into account. Lithium mining has been found to cause habitat destruction and pollution, and damages the soil of surrounding agriculture operations.

Alternatively, the process of extracting sodium is much more environmentally friendly, another reason why it is a favorable option.

Each material has its pros and cons and these should all be measured when assessing its practicality. As batteries seek to facilitate a greener and cleaner future, the processes which this is achieved should also be examined. Sustainability should be considered alongside cost and battery chemistries in order to find balanced and viable alternatives for batteries.

Batteries: A Day in the Life

You may not realize it, but batteries – and the latest innovations in the battery industry – impact nearly every part of your day-to-day life.

Batteries have always helped power the world, but their applications and importance are growing all the time, particularly in the wake of movements for cleaner energy, sustainability, efficiency and more.

Batteries, particularly cutting-edge lithium ion batteries, those used in key grid storage applications, and those that power electric vehicles (EVs) have a pretty high calling. However, they also fuel some of the seemingly small things that bring you comfort and functionality every day.

Let’s take a look.

The Role of Batteries in Powering Everyday Life

Consider your cell phone. It’s often also the alarm clock that begins your day, and it’s probably basically attached to your person at all times, right? It wouldn’t function at all without a battery, and it wouldn’t be capable of such a long lifespan or of so many incredible feats of connectivity without a battery providing fuel for the fire.

As you begin your day and interact with the ever-smarter elements of your likely “smart home,” batteries continue to make previously unheard-of automation and functionality more possible than ever.

Batteries help Internet of Things-enabled devices to communicate with one another, making your life simpler, and power the alarm systems, air purifiers, door controls and digital doorbells, medical devices, and more that keep you healthy and safe.

Even if you don’t drive an EV to work, batteries help your car provide the experience you’ve come to rely on. From digital displays and in-car WiFi and navigation to power windows, batteries are present.

And you don’t need this blog to tell you how critical batteries are in your work life. In fact, you might be reading this blog on a laptop or desktop PC that – you guess it – needs power, either in the form of an actual battery or an uninterruptable power supply.

Finally, on a larger scale, batteries are powering the things that keep you safe. From military and defense applications to construction and logistics that shape the world around us and medical and emergency personnel use cases that literally save lives, batteries play an integral role in the fabric of society. They power radios, robotic artificial limbs, machinery and more.

How Arbin Supports the Battery Industry

At Arbin, we recognize how critical batteries are to our modern way of life – and the future of our society. That’s why we continually support battery research and work diligently to craft innovative battery testing equipment designed to make sure that, when batteries are called upon, they simply work.

To learn more about Arbin’s role in supporting the batteries that power our lives, visit https://www.arbin.com/

 

Range Anxiety-Free Electric Vehicle

https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/19/21375308/lucid-motors-air-ev-charging-time-miles-minutes

Weeks after a potential million-mile battery was announced, automotive company Lucid Motors has announced a new all-electric vehicle with a range of 517 miles. Most EVs currently on the market have a range of 200-300 miles. Currently, Tesla has the EV with the longest range at about 400 miles. The extra distance could significantly move the EV market further.

Set to debut in 2021, Lucid Motors has also announced a range of other key features of the Lucid Air sedan that could place it at the top of the luxury electric vehicle market. They not only address present concerns, such as range anxiety, but also look toward the future of energy storage solutions.

Here is what we know so far:

Long range

Lucid Motors claims that their Lucid Air Sedan will have a range of 517 miles in one single charge. With range and frequent charging being some of the major reasons why many are hesitant to invest in an electric vehicle, this could be a significant push to EV adoption.

The company began as battery maker and supplier Atieva. With all-electric racing series Formula E as a customer, it is clear why they are capable of designing such a battery and vehicle. Electric racing cars would require stable and durable batteries to meet high power and energy demands of the race. Moreover, because of the added risks in racing, the battery would certainly have to be extra safe and reliable. The experience accumulated from designing race-car batteries would certainly be valuable in creating a long-range, safe, and sturdy electric vehicle.

A battery with this capacity would also place the Air Sedan on par with internal combustion engine vehicles in terms of range, further making EVs a much stronger competitor against traditional cars.

Rapid charging

Not only has Lucid Motors promised a long-range vehicle, they have also said the new sedan will be the “fastest charging electric vehicle ever offered.” The charger that they have designed is a 900-volt charger with a peak charging rate of over 300 kW. This translates to charge rates of about 20 miles per minute, meaning that it can reach the full 517 miles charge in about half an hour. 

There are many different levels of EV chargers available; the time it takes to charge an EV can range from anywhere between 30 minutes to a full day depending on the charger. Lucid Motors is planning to build a network of public fast-charging stations that provide for their 900-volt charger, perfect to top up mileage on-the-go during long-range trips.

Bi-direcitonal charging

For now, rapid charging is mainly available from public charging stations but has not yet been adapted for home use. This is because home electric systems are not yet adapted to handle the power demands of rapid charging. However, Lucid Motors is designing a home charger that looks ahead toward the future.

The motor company is developing a home charging system that offers bi-directional charging. Most chargers are unidirectional, moving energy from the electrical grid to the car. A bidirectional charger allows the car to double as an energy source, powering the home off-grid when needed. It also means that energy could be sold back to the grid when there is a demand. 

Innovations in technology set the tone and define the future of the industry. In a maturing industry such as that of EVs, features like rapid and bi-directional charging might soon become must-haves in the near future. This in turn could redefine how energy is used, stored, and generated, 

Learn more about the Electric Vehicle Revolution.

Game-changing Million Mile Electric Vehicle Battery

Chinese car battery manufacturers CALT announced that it is ready to produce a battery that can last for 1.2 million miles across the span of 16 years. This is double the lifespan and eight-times the mileage of current EV batteries, the best of which are typically warrantied for up to 150,000 miles for 8-10 years. This development implies that CATL has figured out a way to reduce battery degradation and loss of capacity -- a process that occurs naturally with batteries over time. 

A battery of this caliber could change the EV industry for the better. It has been long thought that battery technology has yet to reach the capabilities necessary to overtake internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for good. While the first generation of fully electric vehicles are still coming to age, there is not yet a comprehensive idea of the impact of long-term consumer use on EVs and batteries. Nonetheless, a battery of this capacity could significantly drive forward EV adoption and provoke larger energy storage solutions.

Declining battery costs

It’s believed that what’s dubbed as the “million-mile battery” could help bring down battery costs. Currently, EV batteries cost around $175 to $300 per kilowatt-hour. Analysts believe that battery costs would need to decline to $100 per kilowatt-hour for the prices of EVs to be comparable to that of ICE vehicles. While it has been projected that this cost could be reached by 2025, researchers at MIT have begged to differ. 

A report published by the MIT Energy Initiative last year states that the $100/kwh price point may not be reached in the next few years if EV manufacturers continue to rely on lithium-ion batteries. Even though the cost has already been on a steady decline, they predict it would slow down as it reaches the limitations of the cost of raw materials. Moreover, as the demand for lithium-ion batteries will continue to increase, they state it would be unlikely that battery prices would decrease significantly.

CATL’s new battery is currently  priced at a 10% premium of their current EV batteries. While the upfront cost is certainly pricier, it makes up for it by its longevity. EV batteries account for a third of the vehicle’s total cost, so the thought of having to replace it if something happens can be daunting for vehicle owners. This is one of the reasons for consumer hesitation towards electric vehicles. Even though most major vehicle manufacturers warranty their batteries for about 8 years, manufacturers and consumers are still waiting to see exactly how long the batteries will last.

The longevity of the battery could even out the overall lifetime cost of ownership by reducing the likelihood that the battery would need to be replaced. The long term durability of the battery could certainly alleviate vehicle owners’ concerns 

Longevity, however, does not denote capacity. The capacity per charge of the EV battery would still be determined by the size of battery that can be placed within the vehicle. So while the million-mile battery may address durability concerns, it may not actually address range anxiety. This is another aspect of the battery that would still need to be improved.

The second life of batteries

An average ICE passenger car lasts about 8-12 years and 150,000 to 200,000 miles. With fewer mechanical parts, EVs could last longer than traditional cars. However, if EVs end up having similar lifespans, the million-mile battery would outlive the rest of the car. This could give rise to battery recycling and repurposing, further decreasing the cost of energy storage. The EV battery pack could be reused in a second vehicle or even in other applications such as grid storage. 

Heavy-duty applications

The million-mile battery could be a significant breakthrough for electric vehicles of all sizes. Commercial or heavy-duty vehicles such as taxis, buses, and trucks would benefit from a durable battery. The batteries of these vehicles typically endure much more stress than private passenger vehicles, with deeper and more frequent discharges and higher power requirements. Again, while it does not necessarily address the energy capacity of the vehicle per charge, it provides a more lasting solution.

With large applications such as grid storage, long-term sustainability is a key concern as frequent maintenance or power-failures could be costly and dangerous. However, a battery of this ability could also be significant to pushing forward this energy storage solution. The CATL packs are estimated to last for 20 years in applications such as energy storage.

The future of EV Batteries

Electrical vehicle battery manufacturers are looking into different ways to further improve battery technology including solid-state electrolytes, heavy-metal free batteries, ultra-fast charging, and higher energy capacity solutions. The EV industry is still finding its footing in the global push towards addressing climate change; a considerable improvement in battery technology would play a huge part in pushing clean energy and a wider acceptance of these solutions. Click the link to see how Arbin is helping to drive the future of EVs.

5 Features of Arbin’s Regenerative Battery Testing Series

A battery intended for a smartwatch should be tested with a slow and steady discharge profile that mimics the watch’s energy use in actuality. Conversely, a battery intended for larger applications such as electric vehicles, should be tested with dynamic test profiles that simulate how a car is used and driven. Battery test equipment should be able to test cells in a way that can accurately examine the cell with regards to its intended application. For instance, Arbin’s Regenerative Battery Testing (RBT) series is designed specifically for high-power batteries used in applications such as electric vehicles, military and stationary grid storage.

All of Arbin’s equipment is designed around the principles of flexibility, safety, and dependability. Learn more about the key features of our RBT series below.

  • Made for high-power applications

The RBT series is designed to test large battery packs. Providing wide voltage and current ranges and a high power range of up to 1MW.

The simulation control feature of the RBT allows the system to charge or discharge according to a dynamic test profile. For electric vehicles, this would mean importing a drive profile that mimics how energy and power demand changes during a drive. In an application such as grid storage, the test profile could mimic how the grid would collect and release energy throughout a certain period of time. The ability to conduct tests in this way is important to see how the switching between charging and discharging or the fluctuations in power requirements would affect the battery pack. Making use of true bipolar circuitry, there is no switching time between charging and discharging, meaning that more accurate simulations can be achieved. Each system is also built to run continuously at maximum power so there is no fear of overpowering the system if tests need to be run at high power for long periods of time.

  • Easy to program and collect data

Testing systems come with a PC equipped with MITS Pro, Arbin’s software package. The software is completely user-friendly and programming dynamic test profiles is simple. A text profile of time-vs-power or time-vs-current data in .xlsx, .csv, or .txt formats can be directly uploaded to the system. The system can safely handle thousands of data points to run your desired simulation.

Test profiles are completely customizable and easily programmed using dropdown menus. Parameters for different experiment controls such as current, voltage, power, load, and many others can be input directly into the system. All testing channels are completely independent but can also be combined to operate in parallel.

Data can be logged based on changes in Time, Current, or Voltage; data analysis and plotting tools are based in accessible programs such as Data Watcher and Microsoft Excel.

The goal of Arbin’s software is to simplify and streamline the testing process so users can get the most accurate and precise results.

  • The system has built-in safety features

Accidents or mishaps in battery testing can be dangerous. Circuit overloads, overheating, overcharging or over-discharging are problems that can occur during testing. MITS Pro also allows users to program safety limits for current, voltage, total power and more. Once a channel reaches the set limit, the system enters a rest state for a period of time, or halts the test altogether.

The system is also equipped with an emergency stop button and multiple levels of fusing to protect it from unintentional misuse. The equipment has onboard microcontrollers that will stop tests if there is a failure that poses a risk. These features are crucial in halting any problems as they arise, ensuring a safe testing environment.

  • An economical and efficient solution

One special feature of the RBT system is its use of regenerative circuitry to discharge power back to the grid. The system is able to send power back to the grid with >95% efficiency, making it a more economical solution by decreasing the net energy consumption of the system. This also helps facilitate the overall cooling process by reducing heat dissipation. 

The discharge power is also cleaner than before with the total harmonic distortion as low as 3%. 

  • Customizable to meet your needs

There are multiple auxiliary options that can be added to the RBT system to fit your testing needs. Extra options would allow users to better monitor individual cells within a pack. Temperature measurement channels and temperature chamber interfaces are available, which would give users more flexibility in measuring and controlling temperature during testing. CAN-bus communication is an option to test battery packs with integrated Battery Management Systems, which can help communicate valuable messages to the MITS Pro software. Digital or analog input/output modules can further help control testing procedures.

A comprehensive system that provides easy to use features greatly facilitates the testing process. High-power dynamic applications especially require strong and power-efficient equipment to conduct meticulous and rigorous testing and ensure safe procedures.