THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 030 | MAR/APR 2025 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 Attack surface No escape Improving vehicle cybersecurity Options for battery leak testing Meet the electric workhorse that’s redefining construction Diesel defeater
SIRIUS® XHS NEXT-GENERATION POWER ANALYZER FOR BATTERY, INVERTER AND MOTOR ANALYSIS • No exposed high-voltage connections • Perfect for in-vehicle measurement • Direct XCP data output • 15 MS/s with Hybrid DC-CT technology and alias-free acquisition up to 150db +1-855-339-3669 www.dewesoft.com sales.us@dewesoft.com E-MOBILITY TESTING SOLUTIONS
56 Deep insight: HIL testing Combining digital models of components with simulations to create a digital twin of a vehicle that can be driven before it has been built – feeding the results back into the design 64 Focus: Battery leak testing Reliable and accurate leak detection is essential at every stage of a battery’s life – from manufacturing to storage to in-service use, repair, recycling and disposal 74 PS: AI and battery management systems Meeting the challenge of incorporating AI and machine learning into BMSs to reap the myriad benefits on offer 4 Intro The age of the affordable EV has finally arrived, along with improvements in e-mobility engineering, boosted by AI, stronger cybersecurity and optimised testing techniques 6 The Grid Cutting battery development times with machine learning, an emulator for a 20 MW charging system, reducing on-resistance in e-bike designs, the world’s first fully-electric offshore sea vessel, the joy of silicon nitride ceramics, pulsating heat pipes, and much more 16 In conversation: Tony Fong A self-confessed “tinkerer” of electrical systems, Everrati’s head of engineering is revving up old, luxurious classics with the latest powertrains 20 Dossier: Bobcat T7X electric compact track loader In 2018, Bobcat identified compact track loaders as ideal for electrification and today it is making construction more sustainable with the T7X 32 Focus: Cybersecurity Developers are coming up with new ways to make e-mobility safer and more secure 42 Insight: Motor testing Electric motors at the heart of the propulsion system of EVs of all kinds must undergo intensive testing, involving many different technologies and procedures 50 EVD: Charge Qube Fellten’s containerised system stores energy in repurposed battery packs and can charge many of them simultaneously 20 50 56 16 3 March/April 2025 | Contents E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025
THE COMMUNICATIONS HUB OF THE ELECTRIFIED POWERTRAIN Read all back issues and exclusive online-only content at www.emobility-engineering.com ISSUE 030 | MAR/APR 2025 UK £15 USA $30 EUROPE €22 Attack surface No escape Improving vehicle cybersecurity Options for battery leak testing Meet the electric workhorse that’s redefining construction Diesel defeater Age of affordable 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 Two March/April 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 The age of the affordable EV has pretty much arrived. For years, one criticism of the industry was that the vehicles were unaffordable. Now, Renault’s €15,000 (£12,500) Dacia Sprint has been joined by vehicles from Chinese carmakers BYD and Leapmotor at similar prices, meeting all of the European safety and cybersecurity standards. But the promise of a low-cost EV from the world’s second-largest carmaker, Volkswagen, marks the arrival of a mass market, with its ID. 2all and ID.every1 at similar price points. All of this has emerged from incremental improvements in e-mobility engineering and technology, and this is set to accelerate. An AI tool that optimises the electric powertrain design for different vehicles, from affordable to luxury, is now being used commercially (see Grid, page 6), while the learning from early implementations of cybersecurity systems is being applied across platforms to meet coming European regulations (see page 32) at an affordable cost. Testing techniques for the powertrain are being optimised (see Battery Leak Testing, page 64), while hardware-in-the loop (see page 56) is being linked to the driving experience early on in the design process and providing the code for production test systems. All of this will lower the cost of platforms, and speed up the development and manufacturing process for the next generation of EVs. Nick Flaherty Technology Editor 4 Intro | March/April 2025 March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Ocean Pioneer How ACUA Ocean engineers its H-USVs for certification Plug and go Connectors keep up with big data Swarm mentality New tech for simultaneous autonomy Read all back issues online www.ust-media.com UST 60 : FEB/MAR 2025 UK £15, USA $30, EUROPE €22 ELECTRIC, HYBRID & INTERNAL COMBUSTION for PERFORMANCE ISSUE 157 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2025 New frontiers Additive manufacturing materials Dakar power play Prodrive’s Ford and Nissan V6s Ford’s ultimate V6 Inside the GT Mk IV’s RYE-developed turbo www.highpowermedia.com UK £15, US/CN $25, EUROPE €22
REDLINEDETECTION.COM THE WORLD’S LEADER IN LEAK DETECTION BCLD: Battery + Coolant Leak Detector New technology quickly pinpoints all leaks in EV systems battery enclosures battery coolant systems motor housing end of line testing root cause analysis battery design development BCLD has been chosen as an essential tool at automakers in 160 countries. Widely accepted as state of the art technology for leak testing in EV sytems, BCLD is certified sage, with proven ROI. Pinpoints leaks in EV battery enclosures and systems in minutes for fast lid on or lid off repair, either in our out of the vehicle, in the workshop or in the field. Fully automated testing ensures that technicians can only test at set parameters, preventing errors and standardizing technician quality outcomes. BCLD is future proof, new models and battery testing parameters can be added with a simple software update. BCLD is a fully customizable engineering leve tool that can be used to unlock new battery insights from battery design development, through service feedback and even root cause analysis. Data logging and live graphing allows technician, management, engineering and other stakholders to confirm testing has been completed accurately and battery systems are safely sealed. Patented PurgePulse Technology quickly and safely fully evacuates fluid from battery coolant systems to facilitate highly accurate testing without waiting for gravity drain. BCLD is lab grade equipment built for tough workshop setting. Portable, durable and highly accurate, BCLD is successfully deployed from labs to workshop to field work. +1-714-451-1411 sales@redlinedetection.com Battery design labs End of line testing Pre-installation Dealer service locations Collision Battery reclamation & disposable End of life: root cause analysis
6 The Grid Machine learning slices powertrain development phase Researchers at Graz University of Technology (TU Graz) have used machine learning to shorten the development phase of battery EV powertrains by several months, writes Nick Flaherty. The 10-year Optimisation of Electric Drives (OPED) project combines simulation models of components with evolutionary optimisation algorithms, cutting development time to one day. This technique optimises the entire powertrain design, from the power electronics to the electric machine through to the transmission in line with a set of constraints, similar to the evolutionary process in biology. The software is now being used by an Austrian automotive supplier. The starting point for automatic optimisation is the input of the technical requirements for the constraints. These include power output, minimum service life, the maximum speed to be achieved and maximum space in the vehicle. “Electric drives consist of a large number of components that can be designed very differently in order to fulfil the desired requirements,” says Martin Hofstetter, who led the project. “If I make a small change to the electric machine it has an effect on the transmission and the power electronics, so it is extremely complex to make optimal decisions.” An extra difficulty is there is no one perfect solution for a powertrain design as the priorities of manufacturers vary. The software varies, combines about 50 design parameters simultaneously, and compares the simulated powertrains with manufacturers’ priorities. Bad variants are dropped, better ones optimised. After several hundred thousand calculations and simulation cycles, OPED finds ideal solutions and then selects from a manageable number of variants those it would like to develop. The OPED system can be expanded with more criteria. The researchers have taken sustainability into account too. The technique has also been extended to the development of an entire vehicle platform as part of a doctoral thesis by one of the researchers, Dominik Lechleitner. The aim is to save development and production costs. “The OPED approach can be used for a wide variety of product developments, and we are happy to work with new industrial partners to adapt it to their challenges and goals,” says Hofstetter. The technology has been spun-off by TU Graz as OPED Software. ALGORITHMS Optimising the powertrain with machine learning (Image courtesy of TU Graz) March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering
The Grid 7 Researchers in the US have developed an emulator for a 20 MW charging system for heavy-duty electric trucks and aircraft, writes Nick Flaherty. In 2024, US companies deployed more than 15,000 medium- and heavyduty EVs, including battery-electric semi-trucks, passenger buses and delivery vans. The Aries Megawatt charger, developed at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is intended to boost the scaling up of the fast, reliable charging infrastructure needed to power the tens of thousands more commercial EVs expected to hit the roads in the coming years. To charge the largest Class-8 truck in a matter of hours, for instance, a single charging connector may need to provide at least 350 kW of power. To charge more than one heavy-duty truck at a time, and get them back on the road quickly, a charging station may need to deliver 20 MW of power or more. “Imagine plugging in 100 Tesla Model Ys and charging them simultaneously,” said Andrew Meintz, NREL’s chief engineer for EV charging and grid integration. “That’s the same amount of electricity as you’d need to fast-charge four or five electric trucks.” The Megawatt Charging System (MCS) is a global set of charger and connector standards for up to 3.75 MW of power, for charging multiple trucks simultaneously. “The MCS can provide so much more power than existing light-duty chargers that, rather than taking hours using a light-duty charger, commercial vehiclecharge sessions can be completed in 30 minutes or less,” said Isaac Tolbert, an NREL EV charging researcher. “The MCS expands the capabilities and potential uses of commercial EVs for vehicle operators that need to get back on the road faster.” NREL is building the Megawatt Charging Emulator (MCE) at its Flatirons site in Boulder, Colorado. The MCE will use real-world data from existing MCS systems to emulate the charging profiles of several electric trucks, or even non-road vehicles such as aircraft or trains, charging at a single site under different vehicle conditions. This will be coupled with the Controllable Grid Interface (CGI), an electrical grid that can generate 20 MW of power to emulate conditions on both vehicle and grid that are difficult to replicate in the field. Linking several real-time emulators allows the researchers to run large, complex emulations of how a grid, and the EV charging infrastructure connected to it, will function while handling up to 20 MW of electricity. The CGI is part of NREL’s Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES), which contains several resources to integrate energy storage, renewable power, flexible building loads and other distributed energy resources. “What we’re building at Flatirons is absolutely unique,” says Meintz. “It will be the only facility in the world that can emulate both the electrical grid and vehicles. That capability will help us design EV charging hardware and infrastructure that not only operates at the 10-20 MW level, but can boost the grid’s performance rather than placing it under strain. “Rather than constantly needing to upgrade the grid to accommodate ever-increasing loads, this research will improve our ability to accelerate the installation of charging hardware with new control strategies and technologies that can take the burden off the grid.” COMPONENTS Emulator charges big trucks and aircraft E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025 MCS charger for trucks (Image courtesy of NREL)
The Grid Reducing on-resistance in e-bike designs Renesas has used the devices in several reference designs, including a three-in-one EV unit with inverter, onboard charger and DC-DC converter. The silicon MOSFETs are used alongside gallium nitride (GaN) transistors in the LLC converter stage of the design, with GaN transistors in the power-factor correction (PFC) front end. The design combines an RH850 automotive microcontroller (MCU) to handle multiple control functions simultaneously, reducing bill-of-material (BoM) count and system complexity. The MCU includes an internal resolver/digital converter (RDC2) and a motor-control unit (EMU2) to control the GaN and silicon switches with minimal CPU involvement. Integrating these multiple functions into a centralised unit also reduces the complexity of the wiring harness in the end design, reducing costs. The 100 V MOSFETs come in industrystandard TOLL and TOLG packages, which are pin-compatible with devices from other manufacturers, but half the size of the traditional TO-263 packages. The TOLL package offers wettable flanks, allowing for optical inspection, making the assembly of printed circuit boards quicker and more reliable. TRANSISTORS 8 MARITIME Having a whale of a time in an offshore vessel Corvus Energy is to supply a 25 MWh battery system for the world’s first fully-electric offshore sea vessel, writes Nick Flaherty. The vessel is an electric Commissioning Service Operation Vessel (eCSOV) that will be constructed by Armon shipyard in Spain for UK-based shipowner Bibby Marine. Corvus Energy will supply its Blue Whale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) with 25 MWh of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. This is the largest LFP system ever delivered to a maritime project, as the eCSOV has to travel out to wind turbines to provide maintenance over several days. Corvus Energy has been working closely with Bibby and Armon on the size and optimisation of the system. The battery pack is the primary power source, with engines running solely for charging at a constant, optimised load that maximises efficiency and extends battery life. The DC grid architecture in the vessel reduces energy losses and allows for simultaneous battery charging while maintaining dynamic positioning (DP) for station-keeping close to the turbines. This is a first for a service operation vessel (SOV). “A fully-electric offshore vessel is something the industry has been working towards for a long time and marks a major milestone in offshore vessel operations,” said Pål-Ove Husøy, vice-president of sales at Corvus Energy. “This eCSOV will be the first offshore vessel that can operate fully-electric for a full day and it will set a new standard for future offshore vessels.” Equipment from Corvus Energy will be delivered to the shipyard in 2026, and the vessel is scheduled for operation in 2027, supporting the commissioning and operation of windfarms. Renesas Electronics has developed a new process technology for more efficient, 100 V silicon MOSFET transistors in e-bike designs, writes Nick Flaherty. The REXFET-1 process reduces on-resistance between the drain and source by 30% to 1.5 mO, which cuts losses and boosts efficiency. The process technology is being used for a series of N-channel 100 V MOSFETs for battery management systems and power management for e-bikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and charging stations. March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering An electric eCSOV (Image courtesy of Bibby Marine)
ultra fast. ultra strong. ultrasonic. #highpower YOUR EXPERTS IN ULTRASONIC WELDING ULTRASONIC WELDING: POWERFUL, PRECISE AND ADAPTABLE LIKE A BOBCAT schunk-sonosystems.com
10 Pulsating heat pipes for ultrafast charging Silicon nitrade ceramics help heat dissipation Hyundai Mobis has developed a ‘pulsating’ heat-pipe (PHP) material to improve the thermal performance of battery packs during fast charging. It aims to prevent overheating during the ultra-fast charging of EVs, writes Nick Flaherty. Heat pipes are metal tubes that act as thermal conductors to boost the efficiency of heat transfer. PHPs diffuse heat through the vibration and circulation of refrigerant internally. The volatile liquid in the capillary tube turns to vapour and moves through the pipe, cooling and creating a series of bubbles that transfer the heat. This can result in over 10 times the heat-transfer performance than standard aluminium, rapidly moving the heat from overheated battery cells to the exterior. The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing and testing a direct chip-to-baseplate thermal concept based on PHPs that reduces design complexity, yet widens the operating temperature range and boosts thermal transport performance. This aims to transfer at least 60 W for cooling controller chips with a thin, meandering, two-phase capillary tube of less than 5 mm thick, which can be densely packed to provide high thermal performance with high heat-flux density. Using PHPs for direct cooling reduces the size of radiators and lets the batteries operate at a higher temperature. Hyundai Mobis has adapted the technology for EVs using an aluminium alloy and a refrigerant, and it is placed between battery cells to lower the internal battery temperature that spikes during rapid charging. Even when battery heat generation increases during ultra-fast charging, it is expected to significantly reduce EV charging time by implementing a stable thermal-management system capable of withstanding the heat. Hyundai Mobis placed the heat pipes between each battery cell in a pack. They quickly transferred the heat generated in each cell to cooling blocks, controlling the internal temperature at module level. In a comparison test of the heat dissipation performance between the PHP and a standard aluminium cooling plate, the heat pipe showed a temperature difference of nearly 20o. Manufacturing the PHPs can be a challenge, so the company developed a press process for large-scale continuous production. These pipes have a thickness of only 0.8 mm, significantly thinner than standard heat pipes, which are about 6 mm. THERMAL THERMAL The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan is working with NGK Insulators to standardise evaluation methods for measuring thermal diffusivity of thin substrates, writes Nick Flaherty. The work aims to validate methods for evaluating the thermal diffusivity of silicon nitride ceramic substrates used for power semiconductors in e-mobility designs. Adoption of EVs and hybrid EVs is boosting use of power semiconductor modules in inverters, raising demand for thinner substrates with substantial thermal dissipation performance. Silicon nitride ceramics play a vital role in active metal brazing (AMB) substrates for power modules for heat dissipation. The thinner the substrate and the higher its thermal diffusivity, the greater the efficiency of the power semiconductor module. But there are no standards for substrates less than 0.5 mm thick. AMB substrates for power modules consist of a silicon nitride ceramic substrate and two copper plates. The AMB circuit substrates for power semiconductor modules of NGK have proprietary advanced bonding technology to create an extremely thin bonding layer of a few microns or less between the ceramic substrate and copper plates. This greatly reduces thermal resistance and internal strain in the bonding layer, resulting in exceptional thermal dissipation properties. The research taps into the AIST’s evaluation expertise, along with NGK and its advanced ceramic substrate technology, in an effort to collect data for quantifying the preliminary process, which affects the measurement of thermal diffusivity of substrates. March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering A pulsating heat pipe (Image courtesy of Hyundai Mobis) A silicon nitride substrate (Image courtesy of NGK Insulators)
The Grid 11 BATTERIES Rolling out a solid-state battery assembly line Ilika in the UK is building a roll-toroll production line for solid-state battery cells, writes Nick Flaherty. The company has been working with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) to scale up the production equipment for the line, and with Mpac on the development of its solid-state battery cells. Ilika has already shipped its first batch of 2Ah P1 prototype Goliath batteries to e-mobility customers and released validated safety data for its D5 development cells. The company is working on a 10 Ah solid-state battery cell, the D6, which is currently undergoing testing. The trials are providing evidence that large-format solid-state battery cells can be produced with the types of mixing and coating equipment widely used in existing gigafactories. Ilika is working closely with Mpac on completing the fabrication and testing of a 1.5 MWh solid-state battery assembly line, capable of delivering Ilika’s Goliath prototype, large-format pouch cells to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The solid-state battery assembly line is on track to be fully operational at Ilika’s facility by the middle of this year. Metal rupture discs offer robust relief The rupture discs provide fast, reliable and accurate emergency pressure relief where outgassing and pressure equalisation can be funnelled though a single device. Each disc can be supplied with different mounting arrangements to suit a specific battery or enclosure design via a bespoke service that considers the components, cells, packs and enclosures. “We appreciate the unique design challenges presented by the need to conserve space while ensuring safety,” said Travis Nester, vice-president of sales and marketing. “OE Lion actively supports this market with customisable solutions, designed to deliver accuracy and reliability with a minimal footprint.” COMPONENTS E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025 Roll-to-roll processing (Image courtesy of Ilika) A rupture disc (Image courtesy of OsecoElfab) OsecoElfab has developed a family of pressurerelief systems for lithium ion battery applications for heavy-duty, offroad e-mobility applications, writes Nick Flaherty. The low-profile, specialised, metal rupture discs support custom battery design to improve safety. They provide robust emergency relief and pressure equalisation in a single device in the event of outgassing by the battery cells. The low burst pressure of 2 psi improves the ability to control and disperse flammable gases through a single vent, measuring 25.4 mm (1 in) to 304.8 mm (12 in), depending on the size of the pack. Having a single rupture vent simplifies the assembly of the battery enclosure and enables a simpler, less expensive design. There is an optional, breathable membrane that allows air and other gases to move in and out of the enclosure for ongoing pressure equalisation. This prevents a build-up of gases and pressure, and guards against any swelling or contracting of the enclosure.
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 Higher energy through three-layer electrolyte A new self-extinguishing, solid-state lithium-metal battery cell could allow higher energy densities, writes Nick Flaherty. Conventional, solid-polymer electrolyte batteries struggle to make good contact with the metal electrode, which is necessary to prevent lithium dendrites. These grow with charging cycles and can reduce battery cell performance, and even create a short circuit. A three-layer electrolyte, developed at Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) in Korea, offers enhanced fire safety and longer life. Each layer has a distinct function: decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) as a fire retardant; zeolite to boost the electrolyte’s strength; and a high concentration of a lithium salt, lithium bis (trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (LiTFSI), to allow more rapid movement of lithium ions for fast charging. The solid-state electrolyte allows the layering architecture, where the middle layer boosts the battery’s mechanical strength, and the softer outer surfaces improve electrode contact, allowing easier movement of lithium ions. Experimental data shows the 4.8 V lithium metal battery cell developed by the research team retained about 87.9% of its performance after 1,000 charging and discharging cycles at a 1 C charging rate. This is a notable improvement in durability compared with traditional batteries, which typically maintain 70-80% of their performance. The battery cell has an initial capacity of 153 mAh/g and can extinguish itself in a fire, significantly reducing the fire risk. The Grid March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering
E-MOBILITY MADE BY GROB GROB E-Mobility Electric motor, battery or fuel cell – we develop and manufacture production and assembly systems as a partner together with you! With a company history for almost 100 years, you can profit from our know-how as a competent Tier 1 supplier and contact for the automotive industry. We offer the right solution for your battery technology – GROB turns new opportunities into your success! www.grobgroup.com WANT TO KNOW MORE? Contact us and visit us at the BATTERY SHOW (Atlanta, GA) April 16th – 17th • BOOTH #734 Get your ticket now! Use the promo code: INVITE126
Global Decarbonization Summit Tuesday 18 – Wednesday 19 March Paris, France www.globaldecarbonizationexpo.com European Automotive Circular Economy Summit 2025 Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 March Dusseldorf, Germany www.ecv-events.com/e/11-9sdpcs/european-automotivecircular-economy-summit-2025 3rd European Automotive Decarbonization and Sustainability Summit 2025 Wednesday 19 – Thursday 20 March Dusseldorf, Germany www.ecv-events.com/e/12-osvjq5/the-3rd-europeanautomotive-decarbonization-and-sustainability-summit-2025 EV Charging Summit & Expo Tuesday 25 – Thursday 27 March Las Vegas, USA www.evchargingsummit.com 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 E-Tech Europe 2025 Tuesday 15 – Wednesday 16 April Bologna, Italy www.e-tech.show The Battery Show South Wednesday 16 – Thursday 17 April Atlanta, USA www.thebatteryshowsouth.com New Energy Industry Chain Expo, CLNB 2025 Wednesday 16 – Friday 18 April Suzhou, China clnb.smm.cn/en/home Advanced Clean Transportation Expo Monday 28 April – Thursday 1 May Anaheim, USA www.actexpo.com CTI Symposium Tuesday 13 – Wednesday 14 May Novi, USA www.cti-symposium.com GEMTECH Forum Tuesday 13 – Wednesday 14 May Riyadh, Saudi Arabia www.gemtechforum.com CWIEME Berlin 2025 Tuesday 3 – Thursday 5 June Berlin, Germany www.berlin.cwiemeevents.com hy-fcell Canada 2025 Tuesday 3 – Thursday 5 June Vancouver, Canada www.hy-fcell.ca The Battery Show Europe Tuesday 3 – Thursday 5 June Stuttgart, Germany www.thebatteryshow.eu iVT Expo Wednesday 11 – Thursday 12 June Cologne, Germany www.ivtexpo.com EVS 38 Sunday 15 – Wednesday 18 June Gothenburg, Sweden www.evs38.org 14 March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering
ITEC 2025 Wednesday 18 – Friday 20 June Anaheim, USA www.itec-conf.com MOVE 2025 Wednesday 18 – Thursday 19 June London, UK www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/move Adhesives & Bonding Expo Tuesday 24 – Thursday 26 June Michigan, USA www.adhesivesandbondingexpo.com Foam Expo North America Tuesday 24 – Thursday 26 June Michigan, USA www.foam-expo.com CWIEME Shanghai Wednesday 25 – Friday 27 June Shanghai, China www.coilwindingexpo.cn Battery Cells & Systems Expo Wednesday 9 – Thursday 10 July Birmingham, UK www.batterysystemsexpo.com Vehicle Electrification Expo Wednesday 9 – Thursday 10 July Birmingham, UK www.ve-expo.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 2025 Wednesday 3 – Thursday 4 September UTAC 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 Expo 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 E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025 Diary 15
16 March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering Everrati’s head of engineering discusses novel ways of electrifying classic cars with Will Gray Tinker and tailor Electric vehicle (EV) technology is moving at a rapid pace and much of that is thanks to people like Tony Fong. As head of engineering at luxury electric car company Everrati, he is pioneering cutting-edge innovation in the most unlikely of places – by implanting the latest powertrain components into old classics to create the systems of the future. Fong is a self-declared “tinkerer” who loves nothing more than tweaking electrical systems in search for better performance. He has been doing exactly that ever since he was a child, when in his Malaysian birthplace he spent his youth flying radio-controlled helicopters and planes, and tuning the gyros and gaining control to optimise their flight. Fast-forward to 2025, and Fong now spends his days working on far more complicated electric systems, hidden under the beautiful bodywork of Everrati’s range of luxury classic conversions, which includes the Land Rover Series IIA, Porsche 911, the distinctive MercedesBenz Pagoda roadster and the legendary Ford GT40. The aim is not just to create a production line of magical electrified classics, but to use the system engineering processes involved in their development to push the boundaries of what is possible. Unleashed from the shackles of major brand OEMs, this is where Fong, who was originally trained in motorsport engineering, is in his element. “It is kind of bridging the gap between Formula One, motorsport and automotive,” he offers. “Formula One is a scientific programme, albeit now with a level of cost cap, but this is about engineering in a practical sense, balancing the cost element whilst accelerating the integration of all these really good new components that are constantly being developed. “We take a slight step back on the technology curve – so these components are validated and we know they work – and then we integrate them in a system and take it to market aggressively. It’s all about accelerating the process in a commercial sense, and demonstrating the vehicle and system can be registered, and it’s safe. That’s the magic formula.” Fong’s career has followed the electrification evolution, moving from early-stage mild hybrids right through to the modern, full EV systems he is currently working on, and it all started with a realisation back in his remotecontrolled flying days that electric power was not only key to eliminating emissions – it was actually the best powertrain system, full stop. “There were lots of different power options you could use in radio-controlled vehicles – glow engines, petrol engines, electric and turbines – but even then the advantage of electric in terms of power delivery and refinement was quite Tony Fong’s interest in engineering was inspired by flying remote-control aeroplanes as a child, but he now enjoys working on bigger versions (Image courtesy of Tony Fong)
17 Tony Fong | In conversation E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025 innovations he worked on included an e-Supercharger, a belt integrated starter generator (BISG) and 48 V chassis control – a fascinating concept for a form of hybridised suspension. “It used the battery to power the anti-roll bar,” explains Fong. “And because there was a lot of energy in the system going the other way too, if you could manage the surges that energy could be used to recharge the battery. It was very interesting and I think there’s still a lot of discussions around that, so it may advance in the future.” Many of these hybrid programmes expanded on Fong’s past experience in vehicle integration as that is one of the biggest challenges of hybrid engineering. Indeed, he says the need to fit technology into an existing vehicle, rather than creating a ground-up design from scratch, makes its development far more challenging than full EVs. After almost two years at Ricardo, he founded his own vehicle electrification engineering consultancy, AYF Solutions, and as hybrid technology matured and the development of EVs started to gather pace, he began to apply what he learned in the hybrid space to support OEMs with their efforts to steer their vehicles in a new direction. “I’d built a good understanding of vehicle-level delivery and electrical design fundamentals, and I like problem solving, so most of my assignments involved parachuting in and trying to solve challenges faced by OEM component teams,” Fong recalls. “Often, when they had a big EMC problem, they did not necessarily know how to navigate around it, so I came in to help. “The JLR battery team, for example, wanted to apply a common 48 V mild hybrid battery system across all platforms, but when you create common parts to reduce cost, there is always a compromise. On different platforms the battery could be installed under the vehicle, under the driver’s seat, in the boot, and they all had different unique challenges.” Another project that Fong worked on was with MG, helping to develop its two-seat Cyberster GT Roadster at Longbridge prior to the factory’s closure. This briefly steered him away from electrical engineering back to chassis development, and at the time the vehicle – due to enter production this year – was a totally unproven concept. Fong was tasked with working out how the car would perform on the road, but with no existing type comparisons available, it required a lengthy period of complex computer calculations and simulations – ultimately resulting in some interesting insights into the important impacts of an EV powertrain on the overall framework of a vehicle. “When you measure roll-load data for the chassis and suspension design you normally start by using virtual data and simulations,” he says. “If you haven’t built the car, you have to find the closest type to it, and at that time there were a few two-seater hypercars around, but not many two-seater EV sports cars similar to the Cyberster. apparent,” he recalls. “Now I can see that relating to the modern EV powertrains being developed.” After graduating from Cranfield University with an MSc and following that with an MBA from Cardiff Metropolitan University, Fong secured a dream first job as a vehicle integration engineer at Ford, tuning cars and travelling all around the world to test cars in different environments. At the time, even hybrid was still in its infancy, so much of Fong’s work at Ford and then Jaguar Land Rover focused on the Stage IV and V emissions-reduction standards and diesel particulate filters in ICE cars. However, these roles embedded in him an understanding of the entire vehicle development cycle, which he is now able to deploy in the EV world. Hybrid innovation A move to Ricardo in 2014 fed Fong’s passion for innovation, and he began to specialise in electrics and systems. Many of his projects focused on mild hybrid technology and the Everrati’s Tony Fong is engineering old classics into modern-day electric marvels (Image courtesy of Tony Fong)
18 “We had to use data from a number of two-seater ICE vehicles, and although the chassis on an ICE car and an EV are not massively different – the way it puts down in the suspension was quite similar – the extra weight adds more stress. Tesla, for example, has had wishbone failures, so it’s not just the powertrain that’s important in EV design; it’s also the chassis.” Electrified classics In 2020, after around four years as a consultant and at the height of the global pandemic, Fong was approached by Everrati. The company was going through a funding round at the time and, pending its success, it was looking to hire an all-round EV expert to lead and accelerate the development of its electrified classics. Fong’s ability to “wear many hats” was one of the qualities he believes got him the job, but so too were his hobbies outside of work. “I am still involved in aeroplanes, but now I’ve got a pilot’s licence and I’m tinkering with full-size classic aeroplanes,” he explains. “I also competed in drifting, so I had done lots of vehicle tuning in my own time too.” His unique and diverse skillset – spanning electrical and battery design, vehicle integration, compliance and commercial expertise – has been instrumental in Everrati’s evolution from a start-up to an established leader in the luxury automotive sector. These are not vehicles for the masses. These are exclusive vehicles meticulously crafted for discerning owners with concours-standard restoration, stateof-the-art electric powertrains, and the finest materials and craftsmanship. To achieve this, the Oxfordshire firm works with leading UK and global partners, including Aria in California and W Motors in the UAE. “We only build certain models and there’s a reason why we do that,” says Fong. “It takes between 4,000 to 15,000 engineering hours to develop a car properly from scratch, and while some people are willing to pay for that amount of development, in terms of building our company profile we settled on vehicles to develop then productionise. “We’re trying to preserve the classic car as well as electrify it, and it’s a bit like a listed building – you can’t change much, but you want to use the latest materials and make them function well within that space. The models we selected have different powertrain layouts and different power requirements, so they cover as much variety as possible.” Fong’s first task on arriving at the company was to lead the design and build of its first car, a Land Rover, in just eight months – with everyone working from home during lockdown. The company’s ethos, to optimise repeatability by not cutting the chassis and using clean bolt-on adaptations, added even more complexity to the challenge. The development of that first-of-a-kind car, and others since, began by 3D-scanning and weighing the existing vehicle, with and without the powertrain, to identify the target weight and mounting reference points. This was followed by simulations to determine the power, weight and range that would be feasible, and what figures to target. Fong explains: “Obviously, there’s a trade-off: if you want more range, the battery is going to be heavier, so we need to work out where the sweet spot is. We start with the art of the possible, and the absolute baseline is for it to perform with at least the same or greater performance as the original vehicle. “If it’s a Porsche, for example, the benchmark will be the turbo variant. Then we work from there, and start to calculate if there is a possibility to have more power and how that knocks on to suspension upgrades, and so on. We do a cost-benefit analysis within the packaging space to work out if we take a different motor and gearing – what does that look like? “One thing that isn’t often discussed in the EV world is that because an EV motor is a single gear, you have to determine whether you want top-end performance or low-end torque. If you halve the top speed, you have twice the torque in terms of acceleration, so a lot of earlystage simulations are done to work out the optimum performance. “The whole powertrain and system integration is limited by the weakest link. For example, if the motor can do 800 bhp, you need the inverter and battery to match that. In the real world we also try to balance volume effects, where if we use the same types of motors in other vehicles that can have a positive benefit on the overall price points. “The software side is then all about refinement, because power without control is nothing. The old turbo Porsches, for example, had shocking March/April 2025 | E-Mobility Engineering In conversation | Tony Fong Tony Fong says the GT40 is “the most exciting” car in Everrati’s range of electrified classics (Image courtesy of Everrati)
19 turbo lag, but electrification delivers all that performance with linear power delivery. That goes back to my good old days of flying my model airplanes – it’s the same, the refinement, and that’s the enjoyment of it all.” A repeatable process The key to the company’s success is the repeatability of the process, but also the quality improvements and cost-efficiencies that can be achieved over time. Fong explains: “We have a continuous improvement programme, so when we built car number one, as we went through the whole validation process we learned how things could be done better. “When you are dealing with cars that are up to 60 years old, they’ve often been through a lot and the build process was also not as precise in the past. There’s quite a bit of variance, even between different periods of the same car, so we set very specific instructions to ensure donor cars are as close as possible to the one we used for the original design. “As we do more cars, the core of the design – things like mounting points – does not massively change, so we do not need to revalidate it. But, naturally, the more you build the better it will get, so once we’ve done car number three or four, we go back to car number one and offer to upgrade it if there’s the opportunity to do so.” Fong has taken personal satisfaction from each of the vehicles he has developed, but points to the GT40 as “the most exciting one” because of its status as a legendary, high-performance car. The electrified version uses a Helix motor, proven on the Lotus Evija, and the initial development process turned out to be very quick indeed. “We started off by following the same architecture we had on our first vehicle, the Land Rover, even though it’s a very different requirement in the way it delivers the power,” he recalls. “We dropped in the battery and within two weeks we were doing 140 mph at the runway – that was one of my most satisfying moments.” Fong’s pride in the Land Rover, meanwhile, is based on his team’s success in proving it possible to achieve multi-vehicle production repeatability. “We did a second-generation update, doing a cost-down exercise, refinement, simplifying the assembly, and we made it a lot safer, more user-friendly and so easy to drive. “We wanted to preserve the original feel, the four-wheel-drive system, the clunk in the gear selector, so we reworked the mechanism into a drive selector and retained the transfer case, so you can still play with diff lock, and high and low gear. I was really proud to show that we can build cool cars, but to a viable business case and in a streamlined way.” In contrast, the Pagoda is about pure refinement – and being able to achieve this by using modern technology whilst meeting the UK’s strict requirements for re-imagined classics. The axle, suspension and chassis must all remain the same, and being able to maintain the drive and feel of the original proved to be a very satisfying challenge for Fong. “The Pagoda is a front engine, rearwheel-drive car, so you have to keep the rear axle and the ring and pinion gear, and drive your motor into that,” he explains. “We had to work out how to refine that mechanically, by making the prop design work really well, and we also had to make the ramp-up strategy and the regen strategy work harmoniously.” The company works with a range of suppliers, and Fong’s past experience has ensured it has an “escape path” if one supplier lets them down. It has also been crucial to understand the homologation framework – EMC guidelines, battery and electrical safety, mountings – to ensure these machines are brought to market. In fact, those elements are key to Fong’s future plans, which revolve around Everrati’s growing business-tobusiness offering, Powered by Everrati. He explains: “We’re now looking to create a scalable, modular system with flexible packaging – a family of powertrain systems that can be used for other niche vehicle manufacturing. “We’ve been through that development cycle, and I think we can address that pain point for a lot of people because we have a demonstrable vehicle. We’re also teaming up with Soda SDV, which uses a software-defined vehicle and a library of features to create fully validated control systems for other vehicles. “We use a Helix motor, validated on the Lotus Evija, a McLaren inverter validated in our platform, and we are partnered with Raeon batteries, and all of that allows us to take our systems and apply them in any car that any other company wants to do, with fully flexible and validated solutions. That’s the next phase and it is something that really excites me.” E-Mobility Engineering | March/April 2025 Matching the pure refinement of the Mercedes Pagoda in electric form was a challenge for Tony Fong and his team (Image courtesy of Everrati)
www.highpowermedia.comRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjI2Mzk4