Introduction 7 of these other chemistries and their applicability to vehicle electrification. This chapter will also discuss the criteria around Li-ion cell selection and the varieties of cells that are available. Chapter 8 will begin looking at the control electronics side of the battery. What is a BMS and what does it do? Can a battery system operate without a BMS? What are the major compo- nents of the BMS and how do they interact with the battery and the vehicle systems? What are the different types of BMS systems and which is most appropriate for my application? These are the types of questions that will be discussed in Chapter 8.
Chapter 9 will break down the other electronic components that are needed to make a battery pack run and to make it safe. What is a contactor and a precharge contactor? What is a service disconnect and why would you need one? Both high-voltage and low-voltage electrical systems will be discussed. Chapter 10 will review thermal management of the battery pack. How do you select the proper system? What are the criteria needed to make this decision? What types of thermal management systems are most effective for various types of batteries in different regions and applications? When is a liquid management system better than a forced air-based system?
Chapter 11 will review the topics surrounding packaging, material selection, mechanical and structural components of the battery system. In this chapter, we will examine the need for structural integrity around the battery and how to achieve it. Chapter 12 will discuss battery abuse tolerance including what are the general operational and survival temperature ranges that Li-ion batteries can operate in. This chapter will also include a discussion on abuse, characterization, and certification testing. In particular, we will review some of the certification testing that is targeted at Li-ion batteries from the United Nations (UN) and Underwriter’s Laboratory (UL).
In Chapter 13, we will review the growing industrial standards that are being enacted around the globe, looking at everything from SAE to IEEE to IEC and the UN shipping requirements and how they impact the design of modern batteries. This chapter will include voluntary standards, mandatory standards, as well as R&D and trade organizations. Chapter 14 will review the concept around second life, remanufacturing, repair, and recycling of Li-ion batteries. This part of the industry is in its very early stages of formation and so is ripe for the right company to develop a strong market position.
Today lead acid batteries have amazingly high levels of recycling, above 98% in most of the United States and Europe. What kind of infrastructure is needed in order for Li-ion batteries to achieve the same level of recycling? And what is the value of second-life batteries? Will the initial costs come down low enough to make second life a nonstarter? Or will Li-ion battery costs decrease at a slow enough rate to make second-life batteries a viable solution?