Promoted Content: Modelling and Simulation for Meeting the Challenges of Battery Design

Energy density is limited by the battery’s chemistry, which even without losses limits the theoretical energy density. The chemistry is defined by the electrode material and the composition of the electrolyte. Lithium-air batteries get close to the energy density of gasoline, which is probably close to the maximum energy density for a battery. However, the components required for thermal management and current collection contribute to the total weight of the battery system. The design of these components can substantially influence the energy density of a battery system.

The power density of a battery is important for the efficiency of electric vehicles. A high power density is required to recapture high amounts of energy in a short time during regenerative braking or fast recharge. This gives a difficult optimisation problem, since the system has to cope with very high current densities during recharge and relatively low current densities during discharge. It also relates to the design of the thermal management and the current collectors mentioned earlier. In addition, the design of fundamental battery components such as the electrodes, separator and electrolyte are of great importance for power density.