Introduction
Batteries are central to the transition to carbon-free mobility. Mercedes-Benz is just the latest in a long line of companies committing to an all-electric product line-up. Outside the automotive industry, these batteries are already a key technology. Â
When developing products with batteries, whether electric vehicles or energy storage systems, it’s vital to choose the right battery from the offset. TWAICE’s battery simulation models help engineers make the right decisions fast when designing a battery system, leading to reduced risks, improved reliability, and faster time to market.
When engineers are designing battery systems for electric products, the battery must meet certain requirements, including having the right configuration to fit in the space available and providing the power and energy capacity required for the use case. Above all, these requirements must still be met after years of operation, not just for the first couple of years. Products that deteriorate after a few years of use could jeopardize the intended business case and damage companies’ reputation.
The requirements that need to be met when developing a battery can be summed up into two central questions: As well as ensuring safe operation, what energy and power capabilities does my battery need to suit my product in the best way, and how can I ensure that these capabilities are provided over the entire lifetime of the product? 
Batteries could be tested in various conditions to find the answers to these questions. This would, however, be very time intensive, costly, and would considerably slow down the time until the product can go to market. Battery modeling is therefore used to reduce the need for physical testing, which reduces the costs involved and speeds up time to market.
The article covers the following topics:
- The TWAICEÂ battery model as a coupled electrical, thermal and aging model
- Advantages of the model:Â select the optimal cell, avoid oversizing, optimize BMS functionality
- Use cases of the model
