Electric Vehicle News

SAE releases recommended practice for safe battery testing

SAE International has released SAE J2464: Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) Safety and Abuse Testing, a revised recommended practice for establishing safe battery systems. Originating in 1999 when the industry recognized the need for safety and abuse testing of battery systems in the mobility sector, the revised J2464 recommended practice expands to focus on electric and hybrid vehicles.

J2464 describes a body of tests that can be used for abuse testing of electric or hybrid electric vehicle RESS to determine the response of the storage and control systems to conditions or events which are beyond their normal operating range.

Abuse test procedures in the document are intended to cover a broad range of vehicle applications and storage devices, including individual RESS cells (batteries or capacitors), modules and packs. The document specifically applies to vehicles with RESS voltages above 60 volts.

“As the electrification era is in full swing, SAE J2464 serves as an important anchor for establishing safe and effective battery systems, even when abused,” said Bob Galyen, Chair of the SAE Vehicle Battery Standards Steering Committee. “The revised version of this document will bring it up to present technology standards to serve the mobility sector and advancements in the years ahead.”

Liebherr automates assembly of pluggable battery pack module connectors

Liebherr, in partnership with KOSTAL, has released an automated connection system for battery pack module connectors. Compared with screwed and rigid busbars, plug connections with flexible cables offer easier assembly and disassembly, because the flexible lines can compensate for positioning tolerances of several millimeters in the battery modules. The contact parts are touch-protected to remove the danger of exposed high-voltage contacts. Liebherr also says the plug connections can withstand vibrations that might detach screwed busbars.

The engineering challenge for automating the pluggable connectors on soft components has been low resistance to shape changes. Connectors can become deformed from small stresses, such as their own weight. Liebherr’s system has two cooperating robots each grip one end of the cable and perform the plugging process with temporally and geometrically coordinated movements. A 2D camera detects the position of the slots and allows the robots to compensate for positioning tolerances. The mechanical plugging process is performed using a pneumatic cylinder, and a spring assembly limits the force transfer to the module. Liebherr can also address the laying of the cables in the desired position and geometry using suitable cable bend grips.