Energy Storage Research

CAR has been actively involved in the research of electrochemical energy storage systems

Material Research

• Advanced material synthesis (e.g., electrode active materials, binders, electrolytes)
• In-situ characterization of electrode/electrolyte interfaces
• All solid-state battery materials and devices
• Pouch cell fabrication and post-mortem analysis
• Collaborate with Energy Innovation Laboratory to design and synthesize advanced functional materials for high-energy batteries

Modeling

• CAR has a deep background in battery modelling addressing multiple areas
• Expertise in developing a suite of integrated electro-thermal models
  • Electrical models
    • Physics-based model: First-principle electrochemical models that capture the physical and electrochemical phenomena: Diffusion, kinetics, etc. Examples of models developed: ESPM, DFN, etc
    • Empirical model: Computationally effective models represented through electrical circuit components.
  • Thermal models
    • Models capable of predicting thermal response of individual cells or battery packs.
    • Lumped models and discretized model that capture the surface distribution of large format cells.
    • Modelling and validation of thermal management system.
  • Degradation models
    • Expertise in modelling the aging of batteries caused by chemical and mechanical degradation mechanisms
    • Physics-based models: Loss of active material, SEI, Plating, etc integrated into electrochemical models
    • Empirical models: Data driven battery life prediction tools

Control Algorithm

• Developing control methods for cell to system level applications
  • Diagnosis and prognosis of battery based on usage and life. Research in areas of reliability, system diagnostics and failure prediction
  • Control algorithms for State of Charge (SOC) and State of Health (SOH) estimation for real-time implementation
  • Balancing, control and power management methods for battery management systems.
  • Design space exploration, system sizing, etc for x-Ev applications

System Integration

• Research in system integration of energy storage systems in traction and stationary applications.
• Analysis and evaluation of second-life usage of battery packs: Extend life of automotive battery packs through secondary applications
• Energy storage for electric grid: Evaluating applications such as power regulation, charge management and stability