Energy storage

A basic requirement for the future scenario of an electrically driven mobility and the therefore needed storage units for energetic recovery systems is a reliable, efficient and durable storage system. Lithium ion batteries are a promising approach due to their specific properties, in particular high energy and high power density as well as long lifetime. However, there are still a number of questions on the materials´ side as well as on system level, which have to be clarified before a market penetration by plug-in hybrid vehicles can be expected. E.g. the layout of the electrochemical cell and the applied materials (e.g. anode, cathode, separator, and electrolyte) are crucial for the performance of a Li-ion accumulator. With the help of simulation based approaches, the further development of the Li-ion-technology is supposed to proceed cost efficient and in a timely manner. The comprehensive know-how provided by several Fraunhofer-institutes in the fields of Li-ion technology as well as simulation and modelling (e.g. components, materials behaviour or process technologies) can contribute to proceed in these fields of action.

Beside the improvement of battery components it is a further goal to develop optimized cells for the assembly of an entire battery system. The tasks within the battery system’s work package include the design and the assembly of the modules, an integrated battery management, cooling concepts, connection and wiring of the modules (to a complex battery system), development of algorithms for a reliable determination of the state of charging and the state of degradation for different cell technologies and the development of an over-all energy management. Finally, also recycling issues for battery systems have to be examined.