The Grid 11 BATTERIES Next generation SCiB module for heavy duty designs Toshiba has developed a new version of its SCiB battery module for electric buses and ships, writes Nick Flaherty. The new version uses an aluminium baseplate that dissipates approximately twice the heat of current modules for higher power applications. Aluminium has lower thermal resistance than the resin materials usually used in the Toshiba module baseplates. However, because it is a conductor, the baseplate must be insulated from the battery cells. Toshiba has developed a novel structure that achieves the required voltage resistance. When used with the same cooling system normally applied by vehicle makers, the heat dissipation is approximately double that of current modules, significantly extending battery life. Constant input and output at high power levels in a short period generates life-shortening heat within batteries. This challenges battery developers to manage heat dissipation and maintain battery life with high power input and output over short periods. The SCiB cells have a lithium titanate negative electrode for safe operation and low-temperature performance from −30 to 50 C. This also allows fast charging in 6 minutes to 80% of capacity and a 100% effective state of charge, and a 20,000 cycle lifetime that means the cells are widely used in hybrid vehicles. Users of module products want a balance between constant high input and output of 160 A continuous and 350 A for 30 seconds with long battery life. The Type4-23 module is the first to feature an aluminium baseplate for heat dissipation with two parallel strings of 12 x 23 Ah cells in series to provide 45 Ah. This gives a nominal voltage of 27.6 V for energy of 1.242 kWh in the 16.5 kg module. Overmould rib process for electric aircraft led by NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems (ATLAS) with eVTOL maker Joby Aviation, together with Toyota, KraussMaffei, Victrex and Prospect. “This was a particularly challenging component, traditionally machined from a metal billet in a process that removes over 80% of the material and takes more than 100 hours to complete,” says Dr. Waruna Seneviratne, director of NIAR ATLAS. “In contrast, the thermoplastic part was formed from a flat thermoplastic organosheet in under two minutes. The expertise of each partner was instrumental in achieving this success. “These advancements underscore the potential of automotive-matured overmoulding technology for highrate production of both primary and secondary aircraft structures,” says Seneviratne. The project has also expanded its collaboration to include Fill Engineering, aiming to develop a fully integrated manufacturing cell for rib structure production. This incorporate material preparation, tape-laying, ultrasonic tack welding, consolidation, organosheet trimming and overmoulding. The production cell is scheduled for commissioning at NIAR in autumn 2025. Last year, NIAR researchers collaborated with KraussMaffei to develop a thermoplastic overmoulded window cover for passenger-to-cargo conversions that can be produced in just 90 seconds. The resulting component was 20–30% lighter and cost half as much as its metal counterpart. AVIATION The National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University has developed a thermoplastic rib structure to simplify the manufacture of eVTOL systems, writes Nick Flaherty. The fully automated hybrid thermoforming and injection overmoulding process cuts production time from 100 hours to two minutes, marking a major breakthrough in aerospace manufacturing efficiency. By integrating two key polymer processing techniques, the process enables production of high-performance, lightweight components with greater design flexibility and cost efficiency. The development was part of the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Manufacturing for Affordable Sustainable Composites programme E-Mobility Engineering | May/June 2025 The SCiB module (Image courtesy of Toshiba)
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