Siemens Digital Industries Software

Designing tomorrow’s
Li-ion battery
Providing an integrated engineering
approach for electric vehicle batteries

Executive summary
Together with environmental concerns, the introduction of Li-ion chemis-
tries in automotive batteries has driven the beginning of a vehicle electrifi-
cation wave over the past 10 years. During the coming decade, battery
electric vehicles (BEVs) will have to become commonplace and start yield-
ing profit for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). To achieve this,
battery and vehicle manufacturers will have to further mitigate the current
gaps compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) driven cars. These
include cost, range, charging speed, reliability and safety. In this white
paper we discuss the implications of powertrain electrification on the
vehicle development process, which aspects drive lithium-ion (Li-ion)
battery pack design, which physics are involved and which types of analy-
sis are required in this context.

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 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

Contents

Abstract.................................................................... 3
The unstoppable rise of BEVs.................................... 4
The availability of suitable battery technology............. 4
Digitalization as both additional load and
technology catalyst.................................................... 4
Global warming as the ultimate driver of
radical change............................................................ 5
The Li-ion battery in charge during the 2020s.............. 5
Transforming the vehicle development process....... 6
Move away from working in silos................................ 6
Increase the focus on simulation................................. 7
Rethink the role of physical testing.............................. 7
Intensify the collaboration between OEMs and
suppliers.................................................................... 8
Battery development process and stakeholders....... 8
Battery cell design...................................................... 8
Battery pack sizing and design.................................... 9
Integration in the vehicle.......................................... 11
Battery design within the wider vehicle
engineering process................................................. 12
Simcenter solutions for battery design................... 13
Introducing the Simcenter solutions portfolio............ 13
Simcenter Battery Design Studio............................... 13
Simcenter Culgi........................................................ 14
Simcenter STAR-CCM+.............................................. 14
Simcenter Amesim.................................................... 14
Simcenter HEEDS...................................................... 15
Simcenter Engineering services and VEM test
facilities................................................................... 15
Conclusion.............................................................. 16
References.............................................................. 17

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 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

Abstract

The battery is so intertwined with the BEV that both the tool to address his/her engineering challenges, from
battery and BEV development processes need to happen initial sizing and architecture definition, electrochemistry
simultaneously and require continuous collaboration analysis and cell, module and pack design, to integration
between the various discipline experts. This should be in the vehicle and final validation. Using Simcenter
facilitated by deploying a common engineering environ- enables engineers to connect all these process steps,
ment that helps to remove silos between stakeholders. study the impact of their choices on all battery and BEV
At the same time, such a platform should include the performance aspects, and allows them to use optimiza-
best-in-class solution for all steps in the process. In tion and design exploration to effectively discover inno-
Simcenter™ software and hardware simulation and vative solutions.
testing solutions, everyone involved will find the right

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 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

The unstoppable rise of BEVs

BEVs have been around throughout automotive industry

history. But major roadblocks such as limited range and
an inadequate charging infrastructure have always
impeded attempts to broad commercialization.1 Today,
however, we are in disruptive times. BEVs, and by
extension all gradations of hybrid electric vehicles
(HEVs), are on the rise again, and this time they will be
unstoppable. Converging technological innovation and
evolving circumstances is leading to radical change.
Three major drivers have created an unprecedented
momentum for electrified traction, which has made
batteries the center of attention, where they are likely
to stay.
Figure 1. Ragone plot, showing the power capacity and energy capacity
The availability of suitable battery technology potential of current commercial capacitor and battery cell type technologies.7
First, there is the spectacular evolution that has taken
place during the last decades of the 20th century in the
field of battery cell technology, mainly driven by the Just to illustrate how fast things are changing, since
needs of the consumer electronics industry. The market 2010 mass production has decreased Li-ion battery cost
introduction of Li-ion battery cell chemistries in the by 87 percent while energy density has tripled.
1990s has been a gamechanger.2 Automakers now offer BEVs with more than a 200-mile
range compared to over 100 miles just 10 years ago
Compared to predecessor candidate traction technolo- while maintaining the same price point.8,9
gies such as Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Nickel-Metal
Hydride (Ni-MH), Li-ion batteries (in all their chemistry Digitalization as both additional load and technology
variants) provide a high energy density and open circuit catalyst
voltage, faster charge and low self-discharge.3,4 Despite Secondly, the thorough digitalization that is taking
the fact all Li-ion technologies still suffer from notable place in the automotive industry is on the one hand
disadvantages, such as vulnerability for over-charge and slowly but certainly raising the bar for battery cell tech-
deep-charge (requiring a protection circuit), tempera- nologies, but at the same time paving the pathway for
ture sensitivity, as well as disputable sustainability and full electric driving.
recyclability,5 it’s definitely fair to state they have con-
tributed tremendously to the vehicle electrification The number of electric systems in cars has increased
wave we’re witnessing. And they will probably continue dramatically over the past 20 years. Some of today’s
being dominant during the coming decade, or at least vehicles easily include more than 150 electronic control
until new groundbreaking technologies will be ready for units (ECUs) with accompanying software.10 In this field,
the market.6 consumers have eagerly adopted one innovation after
the other, often for their safety and comfort. Advanced
driver-assistance systems (ADAS) such as pedestrian
detection, adaptive cruise control (ACC), collision avoid-
ance, lane correction and automated parking are gradu-
ally become commonplace, while fully autonomous cars
are already being tested on public roads. It is predicted
that by 2030 these systems will represent a significant
proportion of the market (up to 15 percent according to
McKinsey), even in the most prudential scenarios.11

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ADAS systems are, just like starting, lighting, ignition Whereas before the success of BEVs depended on the
(SLI) and auxiliary, part of the low-voltage circuits goodwill of consumers to pay more for less driving
where classic lead-based batteries are currently still the range and limited charging comfort for merely ecologi-
preferred technology.12 They are fail-safe and robust to cal motives, now they are encouraged by incentive
support safety-critical functions under all environmental schemes and tax waivers. While in the past deploying
circumstances. However, as the amount of equipment charging infrastructure at scale seemed impossible, now
grows to enable connected and autonomous driving there is dynamism and creativity in that field. Societies
functions, classic 12-volt (V) power architectures are used to look at aspects such as mobility, energy and
pushed to the limit and consume an amount of power housing in a fragmented manner. Thanks to the goals
that can considerably affect an EV’s driving range.13 The that were set in the Paris Agreement, there is a lot of
latter even leads to interesting discussions on whether activity, both private and public, on different levels, to
both autonomous and full electric driving can be look at these holistically. That is leading to innovative
achieved simultaneously in the near future.14 It’s clear initiatives, new business models and an enormous
these challenges dramatically raise the pressure for momentum for green mobility, including the tailpipe
better battery technologies than are available today. CO2-neutral BEVs.
Despite all the concerns and caution of some, most
The Li-ion battery in charge during the 2020s
industry leaders are convinced that autonomous and
The transition is already happening. During the previous
connected driving only makes sense if it is fully electric.
decade, the total number of electric passenger cars on
An important element here is they also envision that
the world’s roads grew from just about 17,000 in 2010
digitization will yield new forms of mobility and associ-
to about 7.2 million in 2019, of which 67 percent were
ated business models, such as shared mobility, the
fully electric. This decade will become extremely impor-
internet of vehicles and more.15,16 ICEs that regularly
tant as it should become the time when EVs become
need to be refueled at defined locations do not fit that
commonplace and achieve a significant market share by
story. They will still have a role to play in HEVs to tem-
2030. Whereas the 2010s were just the beginning, the
porarily compensate for BEV shortcomings, such as
2020s will bring the final breakthrough.
driving range. But eventually the future will be fully
electric, and the ICE will disappear. Several prominent
OEMs are already moving in that direction.

Global warming as the ultimate driver of radical

change
Finally, global warming urges us toward greener mobil-
ity, including BEVs. What’s unique about climate change
compared to earlier environmental concerns is it affects
all of us. There is a worldwide scientific consensus that
man-made carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, primarily
caused by fossil fuel consumption, is a major driver and
the international community has taken clear action by
consolidating ambitious long-term targets into a legally
binding treaty.
The Paris Agreement, an initiative of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is a
historical landmark for multilateral collaboration and
will probably be remembered as the ultimate tipping
point to automotive electrification. Having a binding
commitment from all industries and (almost) all govern-
ments around the world to drive green initiatives is
unprecedented and is providing carmakers with a
unique and durable opportunity to by-pass two main Figure 2. Global stock of electric passenger cars by region between 2010
and 2019.17
hurdles to wider adoption of electric driving: price and
infrastructure.

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This is obviously good news for Li-ion battery cell-type For all elements, anode, cathode and electrolyte, there
manufacturers, who have enormous potential to is still a significant margin for including better perform-
upscale their activities.18 Success will partly depend on ing chemistries. It is expected they will be implemented
the speed and extent by which improvements can be during the coming five to 10 years. By then, the theo-
made. Current BEVs are just starting to approach the retical limit of Li-ion will probably be reached However,
overall performance of ICE-driven cars. Driving range further improvements can possibly be found in cell
and lifespan are still major concerns but are gradually design and on the system level, particularly the battery
reaching acceptable levels. However, charging speed is pack and its integration into the wider vehicle system.
also an important factor for range anxiety. And that is Later in this document we discuss how OEMs and pack
currently perceived to be the biggest gap that’s left. suppliers can make a difference. We discuss the implica-
Today’s premium batteries can handle an 80 percent tions of powertrain electrification on the vehicle devel-
charge in around 30 minutes, but ultra-fast charging opment process; which aspects drive Li-ion battery pack
would be highly desirable. This is a challenging engi- design, which physics are involved and which types of
neering problem, as higher charging speed requires analysis are required in this context. The more concep-
decreasing the thickness of the electrodes, which tends tual choices that are to be made are beyond the scope
to increase cost and lower the energy density. And a of this white paper, such as exact chemistry, which is
good design of the pack, including the thermal manage- mainly driven by application, market readiness and cost;
ment system, will be necessary to mitigate the impact and in-vehicle positioning, which is more related to
of faster charging on the battery’s lifetime and safety.19 vehicle structural development and driving dynamics.

Transforming the vehicle development

process

Despite this utterly prosperous outlook, the reality Move away from working in silos
today is OEMs still struggle to achieve profitability with Successfully developing a new vehicle requires the
BEVs. A battery is so different from an ICE and so omni- combined knowledge of various application experts,
present and dominant in the overall vehicle system that who often have conflicting targets. In order to effec-
all established processes, in terms of design, manufac- tively find the right balance, it is important that all
turing and lifecycle management, must be reconsid- aspects are considered simultaneously as early as pos-
ered. Strong industry players cannot simply fall back on sible, otherwise the development process can get stuck
the knowledge and infrastructure they have been build- in endless iterations. The more complex products
ing up over the decades so they must invest heavily. become, and the more multi-physics systems are
That poses great risks, as new players are eager to take involved, the more important this becomes.
their place. Manufacturers that show the most flexibility
Such a highly collaborative approach seems more obvi-
to make the switch quickly will have the best chance to
ous than it really is. Traditionally, OEMs have various
survive. Below we summarize some of the most impact-
departments for different disciplines, sometimes even
ful measures that need to be taken in the vehicle devel-
spread over several sites. This easily ends up in a siloed
opment process. In fact, these recommendations will
development approach with difficult exchange of infor-
help any manufacturer of products with inherent
mation and data. To be competitive today, OEMs must
complexity.
remove these silos by using in an integrated environ-
ment where engineers can collaborate on comprehen-
sive models from the very beginning of the design cycle.

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This will significantly shorten the total development Rethink the role of physical testing
time and will in the case of BEVs be essential to achieve This focus shift doesn’t mean physical testing is about
profitability. to disappear. Crucial development phases, such as
certification or final verification and validation, will
Increase the focus on simulation never be fully simulation-based. But as creating a proto-
Such an integrated approach that aims to front load type and doing measurements is relatively slow and
design decisions naturally leads to an increased focus expensive compared to performing calculations on a
on simulation. But more needs to be done than that, digital twin, testing cycles will need to shorten to keep
especially for BEV development. A classic verification- the overall development time and cost under control.
centric methodology that ultimately relies on prototype
On the other hand, test departments will see an
testing and where simulation is merely used for analysis
increase of new activities during earlier development
and troubleshooting is no longer practicable. A battery
stages, as real measured data becomes more important
behaves in a nonlinear way with respect to ambient
than ever to endorse modeling accuracy, especially
temperature and its state of charge (SOC).
when exploring uncharted design areas. Realistic simu-
So, when integrated in the vehicle system, this leads to lation, the comprehensive digital twin cornerstone,
an enormous number of operating regions. It is just implies continuous testing on components, new materi-
impossible to cover all these using physical testing only. als, boundary conditions and more, often involving
Instead, OEMs must deploy a comprehensive digital multiple physics, including some that are new to auto-
twin, a set of models and data that can predict the real motive testing departments. To be successful as a team,
behavior of the vehicle with the highest possible accu- test and simulation engineers need to exchange knowl-
racy. The digital twin gets initiated during the concept edge, align their workflows and exploit synergies they
phase, when the vehicle architecture is defined and create by combining their tools.
then gradually includes more detail as development
advances. Ultimately the comprehensive digital twin
mirrors the final product and can be used for virtual
verification and validation.

Figure 3. A siloed approach impedes collaboration between battery design stakeholders, whereas an integrated approach facilitates communication,
collaboration and traceability.

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Intensify the collaboration between OEMs and That demonstrates how important the battery is as a
suppliers component.
The presence of the battery in a BEV is in all respects
Whoever is or should be involved, it’s clear the various
more pronounced than of the ICE in a conventional
phases in the battery engineering process, namely cell
vehicle. Its range of action goes far beyond mere pro-
development, pack sizing and design and vehicle inte-
pulsion. The battery is connected to all systems in the
gration, cannot be simply separated from each other. If
vehicle, touches all engineering disciplines and even
these are done by different stakeholders, it is important
determines to a large extent what the structure of the
those are connected in a streamlined process that
vehicle looks like. To put it simply: An ICE is an impor-
enables communication, teamwork and data exchange.
tant component of a conventional vehicle, but a BEV is
Such an intense collaboration should, for example,
a battery on wheels. Studies indicate at certain produc-
facilitate OEMs to effectively communicate design
tion volumes it could even benefit OEMs to take part or
requirements to suppliers who then provide a digital
all of the battery development activities in-house, even
twin that can be used in further development stages.
if it would require a huge investment and a lot of
This is in the end also a form of removing silos.
knowledge gathering outside their core business.20

Battery development process and

stakeholders

As mentioned in the previous section, the battery engi- istics, such as capacity, weight, safety aspects, flexibil-
neering process touches diverse engineering disciplines ity, manufacturability, cost and more. But as technology
and requires the combined expertise of a large amount and market are in full evolution, it’s hard to say which
of people. All these stakeholders must collaborate, one is best, and a listing of all the advantages and
keeping the most important battery design criteria in disadvantages would be beyond the scope of this white
mind: range, charging speed, reliability safety and paper. Besides, what is true today may not be tomor-
lifetime. Often, these criteria can conflict with other row. Cylindrical cells are currently by far the most com-
vehicle performance requirements they are aiming for. mon type, mainly due to costs because they are easy to
In this section, we will elaborate on who does what manufacture, but also because they have a good
during the different parts of the battery engineering mechanical stability.
process. We describe them as individuals, but obviously
sometimes they can be multiple people,
or even an entire team.

Battery cell design

The battery cell type is usually chosen
from what is commercially available.
Chemistry is obviously an important
factor, but also configuration plays a
major role. The different types that are
actively used in BEVs are cylindrical,
prismatic and pouch. All three of them
score differently on various character- Figure 4. Commonly used Li-ion cell types in automotive batteries.21

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The electrochemical and materials engineer The powertrain architect

The battery cell choice has a huge influence on the The first question that needs to be answered is about
further process, as the entire pack design is affected by the sizing and internal wiring. The powertrain architect
the shape as well as the chemical, electrical and electro- studies the battery on a system level and determines
thermal characteristics of the cells. The task of the cell the necessary amount of battery cells and the preferred
designer consists of properly drawing up these proper- series-parallel wiring topology to meet the battery’s
ties in simulation models. This can range from molecu- technical targets for power, voltage and energy. To
lar chemistry and microstructure electrochemistry achieve serviceable units, cells are grouped in modules.
aspects to a detailed geometric representation of the The powertrain architect will sketch the layout of these
complete cell. Part of the necessary information to in an electrical scheme, looking for the most robust and
create these models can come from the cell manufac- manageable configuration. He/she will also integrate
turer and another part might require reverse engineer- this component model in a full vehicle system model
ing, involving measurements. The cell designer can and do early simulations on various battery in-vehicle
then play with chemical and geometric parameters to performance aspects, such as energy consumption and
optimize cell performance and make suggestions for thermal behavior, and study the interaction between
improvement; for example, to lower voltage drops and the battery and other vehicle systems, such as the elec-
heat generation while increasing energy density. The tric drive and the battery thermal management system.
precision of his/her models are crucial for the relevance
of further simulations that happen during battery pack
design.

Figure 5. 3D simulation of salt concentration in the battery microstructure

in different sections.​

Battery pack sizing and design

In parallel with the research that is being done on the
chosen cell, the design of the battery pack can start, for
Figure 6. The powertrain architect sizes the battery (capacity,
which endless possibilities exist. As mentioned before, power, voltage) to reach the desired vehicle performance.
this is preceded by lots of conceptual choices with
major impact on the overall vehicle behavior, such as
the position in the car, which affects the structural and The multi-physics CAE/CFD expert
spatial layout and drivability. We make abstractions of Once cell geometry, configuration and modularity have
these and focus on the functional aspects of the battery been fixed, the geometry of the pack can be elaborated.
pack design. This includes how many cells are needed, This is mainly driven by both mechanical and thermal
how are they bundled and packed, how are they pro- requirements. Mechanical damage or deformation of
tected and cooled and how the system is integrated into the cells are among the biggest threats to battery
the overall vehicle in order to achieve the best possible safety. In other words, the cells must structurally be
performance for multiple design requirements. optimally protected. At the same time, thermal

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management, such as air or liquid cooling, but also The multi-physics CAE/CFD engineer also pays special
mutual thermal insulation between modules, is crucial attention to thermal runaway, a phenomenon to which
for the overall battery performance, its safety and life- Li-Ion batteries are particularly sensitive. This problem
time. These two aspects together fully determine what can be initiated by an abusive load, such as extreme
the battery pack looks like and cannot be separated overcharge or discharge, a cell that is exposed to heat
from each other. The objective of this thermal and for a long time (cells can become thermally unstable
structural analysis is to obtain a design that is strong, after 60 degrees Celsius), or an internal short circuit; for
lightweight and facilitates a homogeneous temperature example, because of cell deformation or damage by
distribution during simulated drive cycles. impact. This can provoke exothermic chemical chain
reactions in the cell, leading to even more heat genera-
tion at a rapid pace and the formation of flammable
gases, which accumulate and eventually lead to sponta-
neous combustion or explosion. A good battery pack
design should control the problem and/or mitigate the
consequences, as any such incident can obviously have
enormous consequences and harm the reputation of
the OEM or even the entire industry. The multi-physics
CAE/CFD engineer will study the propagation of the
thermal runaway in comprehensive models that couple
electrochemistry, combustion, flow and heat transfer.
He/she will then look for pack designs that can, for
example, slow down the mutual heat transfer between
cells and modules or drain stacked reactant gasses in a
more controlled manner.
Figure 7. The 3D thermal simulation of the battery pack including cooling
system – courtesy of Automotive Solution Center for Simulation (ASCS),
Stuttgart and Behr.

The multi-physics computer-aided engineering (CAE)/

computational fluid dynamics (CFD) expert starts off
from the model created by the electrochemical engineer
who designed the cell. This one can be either physics-
based or a 3D equivalent circuit model (RCR-type model)
that replicates the cell voltage behavior in an empirical
manner for computational efficiency. He/she then builds
the entire battery system in a dedicated computer-aided
design (CAD) or CAE/CFD software, and completes it
with all other components, such as bus bars, electrical
insulation pad, cooling channels and battery casing.
After meshing and specifying the material and coolant Figure 8. Studying thermal runaway propagation and safety using 3D
properties, the expert runs large-scale electrothermal simulation.22
simulations, including conjugate heat transfer (CHT), to
the coolant flow of the entire battery pack over tran-
sient scenarios using a dedicated multi-physics solver. The software and controls engineer
He/she then optimizes the performance of the new In parallel, the software and controls engineer develops
design by making tweaks to the geometry, materials the battery management system (BMS): The assembly
and boundaries to balance strength and weight, mini- of electronic control circuits that optimizes use of
mize temperature differences, increase cooling capacity remaining energy equally balances the stored charge
and reduce pressure drop in the coolant flow, which between different cells and prevents the battery from
should decrease the amount of energy the coolant operating outside the safety boundaries, such as deep-
pump needs from the battery. charge and over-charge. For this purpose, the battery is
equipped with the necessary sensors to measure pack

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voltage, current, cell voltages and temperature and such as a resistive heater, which drains the battery. This
more. These values are then employed in software can dramatically reduce the driving range in cold envi-
algorithms that calculate data such as SOC, state of ronments. Additionally, high ambient temperatures can
health (SOH) and state of function (SOF) and then be problematic as an air conditioning system consumes
communicate them to the vehicle user interface and a lot of battery energy. The vehicle thermal systems engi-
autonomously initiate smart, corrective measures to neer is focused on finding the optimal balance between
improve the performance, lifetime and functional safety driving range and cabin comfort while keeping the
of the battery. battery (and also other electric components) in optimal
thermal operating conditions. To achieve this, he/she
The task of the software and controls engineer is to
will include the battery in a comprehensive vehicle
develop robust software algorithms and set up a scal-
thermal model, including all the relevant components,
able model-based design (MBD) framework that enables
such as the cooling pump, heat exchangers, valves,
virtual verification and validation during the different
chillers and more, and optimize the entire system by
stages of the development cycle. The expert uses
making tweaks to all of them. Today, there is also an
model-based system simulation techniques to generate
increasing trend to include heat pumps in vehicles. They
battery models that are both fast and accurate in terms
could increase overall energy efficiency, but at the same
of dynamics, and couples those with control models,
time add even more complexity to this application.23
control codes and real controls in model-in-the-loop
(MiL), software-in-the-loop (SiL) and hardware-in-the-
The power electronics engineer
loop (HiL) test configurations. This allows a multitude of
The main purpose of the battery is to provide the elec-
test scenarios to happen before the battery prototype is
tric motor with adequate traction energy over a suffi-
available, a virtual assessment of the response of the
ciently long driving range. But also all other electrical
battery as it ages and effective optimization of the
systems in the vehicle are powered by the battery in
control strategy for performance and lifespan. The
one way or another. Optimizing the entire electrical
software and controls engineer and the CAE/CFD expert
system and implementing it in an electric board is carried
often also share their models, one as input for the
out by the power electronics engineer. He/she chooses
other, or in co-simulation scenarios.
an electric circuit topology and designs a power flow
chart in which the battery is a central and crucial com-
Integration in the vehicle
ponent. Particularly for a BEV, this is especially complex
As the battery is progressing to its final shape, the
as it also contains elements such as inverters, convert-
vehicle also grows further in the development cycle.
ers and on-board chargers. The design space of all these
With details becoming available on other components,
components, including the battery, is therefore partly
further refinements must be made based on perfor-
constrained by the outcome of this engineering process.
mance simulations that take this evolving information
into consideration. Model-based system simulation is an
The vehicle integrator
effective way to do so. This technique is highly scalable
As mentioned, the battery is connected to all systems
in several ways. It lets engineers efficiently model a
and touches all vehicle engineering disciplines. As a BEV
complete vehicle concept based on predefined compo-
is practically a battery on wheels, the development of
nents, and then gradually refine them. It also allows
both happens nearly simultaneously. The vehicle inte-
you to study both the overall vehicle as well as to zoom
grator must orchestrate the various parallel subsystem
in on individual subsystems or applications that have
development tracks. During the early design stages, he/
closer interaction with the battery. This technology is
she translates vehicle performance requirements into
inherently multi-physics and embraces data from any
targets for all the individual subsystems or components.
source. In this way, engineers can be sure they are
Along the duration of the vehicle project, the vehicle
working with the most realistic information available at
integrator populates his/her multi-level models with
the instant of simulation. Below are listed some vehicle
increasing detail and evolving data, while continuously
engineering stakeholders whose applications closely
safeguarding that with choices made on subsystem
interact with battery design.
level, the targeted balance between major vehicle per-
formance attributes is being maintained. Those include
The vehicle thermal systems engineer
energy consumption, range, thermal comfort, drivabil-
Unlike an ICE-driven car, a BEV cannot recover waste
ity, ride and handling, noise, vibration and harshness
heat from the powertrain to warm the cabin. Instead,
(NVH) and more.
cabin comfort must be achieved with other mechanisms,

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The vehicle integrator uses all possible methodologies Battery design within the wider vehicle engineering
to make his/her models as realistic and complete as process
possible throughout the process. In addition to model- In the above sections, we’ve depicted the main stake-
based system simulation, this involves testing, even for holders in the BEV engineering process that have, in
target setting. It is common to put a competitor or varying degrees, direct influence on the battery and
predecessor vehicle on a test bench. A dedicated vehicle pack design. But there are many other engineering
energy management (VEM) setup in a climate-con- disciplines that are massively affected by the presence
trolled room can yield energy flows in the vehicle under of the battery. Numerous specialists, who are mainly on
imposed driving conditions. This data can be converted the vehicle side of the story, must take specific new
in different simulation models for various attributes. By challenges into consideration when studying their
doing what-if scenarios on them, the vehicle integrator domain. For them as well, it is mandatory to dispose of
can study the performance of the vehicle in specific accurate battery models and data, to be in close contact
conditions and see what are the pros and cons of the with the stakeholders in the battery design process,
vehicle architecture, where there is room for improve- and, if possible, to work on a common platform that
ment, so that he/she can give directions to colleagues facilitates collaboration. Without going into the full
who work on components, like the battery. Ultimately, detail, we selected some examples.
when the end of the development cycle approaches,
An electromagnetics engineer must study the cables
there will be a phase of refinement and possibly trou-
around the battery that transport high current at low
bleshooting on the physical prototype. Testing is crucial
frequency. This produces a large magnetic field that can
at that moment. Via a similar VEM test setup, the per-
negatively affect other electronics in the vehicle and
formance of all components, including the battery, can
requires high-shielding attenuation. At the same time,
be validated in their operating environment.
the battery and its circuits must be protected from any
incoming electromagnetic interference.24
The battery is continuously subject to vertical low-fre-
quency, road-induced vibrations and shocks. This could
ultimately lead to problems, such as loss of electrical
continuity or fatigue failure of the casing. When design-
ing the vehicle structure, the NVH engineer must under-
stand the dynamics behavior of the battery and make
sure critical frequencies are absorbed and modules are
prevented from moving.25
Finally, as mentioned, damage by impact is one of the
most common causes, leading to the hazardous thermal
runaway phenomenon. Moreover, when a battery
catches fire, it’s impossible to extinguish because when
the cathodes degrade they continuously release oxy-
Figure 9. Vehicle level simulation using reduced order models. gen. The vehicle crash engineer must investigate all
possible impact scenarios and make sure that in all of
them the structural integrity of the battery can be
maintained.

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 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

Simcenter solutions for battery design

As illustrated, successful battery design requires many

different discipline experts to continuously collaborate;
on cell design, pack development and integration into
the vehicle, with a lot of overlap and interdependencies
between their working areas. It is impossible to be
effective if these domain specialists are trapped in their
silos. Given the number of parameters, the broad oper-
ating range, and the inherent multi-physics complexity
of the battery engineering problem, it is also mandatory
to follow a systematic predictive simulation-based
approach. This one should be underpinned by highly
specialized testing technologies to validate all these
complex models, physics and materials. Ideally, all the
necessary tools are available in a common environment
for OEMs and suppliers in which it is easy to share data
and knowledge, where co-simulations can be set up
without the need for extensive scripting and where
requirements, targets and design decisions are captured
as traceable artifacts. Figure 10. Simcenter for battery design workflow.

Introducing the Simcenter solutions portfolio

that will allow businesses in the entire transportation
This is exactly what the Simcenter portfolio is all about.
sector to take the next steps in digitalization. Siemens
Simcenter, which is a part of the Xcelerator™ portfolio,
has achieved this by making substantial investments in
the comprehensive and integrated portfolio of software
research and development (R&D) as well as by strategic
and services from Siemens Digital Industries Software,
partnering and acquiring technology pioneers that can
uniquely integrates multi-physics system simulation, 3D
provide decades of engineering proficiency in the sec-
CAE, CFD, electromagnetics and physical testing, and
tor. The ones that focus on product design and develop-
combines this with design exploration and data analyt-
ment have been unified as Simcenter. All the solutions
ics, all in one environment. This open, scalable and
are backed by a global team of engineering specialists
flexible engineering platform helps OEMs and suppliers
that are dedicated to helping OEMs and suppliers meet
accurately predict battery and BEV performance aspects,
the challenges of their industry and exceed the expecta-
optimize designs and deliver innovations faster and
tions of their market. In the following paragraphs we
with greater confidence. Simcenter simulation and
highlight the Simcenter products that specifically fit the
testing solutions allow engineers to generate a set of
battery design process.
validated ultrarealistic, multi-physics models and data
that can predict battery and BEV behavior. These are
Simcenter Battery Design Studio
essential to implement the comprehensive digital twin,
Simcenter Battery Design Studio helps electrochemical
the industry paradigm that helps OEMs and suppliers
engineers build and validate a 3D Li-ion cell model
design robust and safe batteries that combine high
starting from standardized, yet customizable specifica-
power, long range, fast charge and continued reliability
tions for cell shapes and components such as elec-
through their structure, systems, software, controls and
trodes, tabs and current collectors. The software also
innovative materials.
includes predefined standard mixture formulations as
Simcenter has a long, proven track record in complex well as cell characterization tools so the mixture formu-
product design. As a global industry leader with a clear lation can be reverse engineered from experimental
focus on innovation, Siemens strives to deliver solutions input.

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 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

Simcenter Battery Design Studio can be used to calcu- However, the core value of Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for
late cell responses to pulses or duty cycles based on the battery design process is in its capabilities to simu-
several levels of performance models: a physics-based late the electrothermal behavior of modules and pack
macro-homogeneous model to get insight into the cell’s including coolant flow, all coupled for optimal accuracy.
electrochemical mechanisms; and an RCR model, which The software includes the Simcenter Battery Simulation
is an empirical approach to simulating cell behavior in a module to easily build a module or pack based on
computationally effective way. The software also comes Simcenter Battery Design Studio input as well as high-
with an aging model to study the effect of calendar and performance automated meshing capabilities and
cycle aging by resolving the mechanism of solid electro- includes dedicated modeling tools and methodologies.
lyte interface (SEI) growth, as well as capabilities to Simulations in Simcenter STAR-CCM+ allow multi-phys-
simulate thermal abuse tests, such as the oven test and ics CAE/CFD experts to study the electrochemical behav-
accelerating rate calorimeter (ARC) test. The model can ior of cells in their thermal environment, to predict 3D
then be configured to predict the point at which the cell heat maps and to evaluate cooling strategies in real
enters the thermal runaway. drive cycle conditions.
Simcenter Battery Design Studio models and data can Additionally, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ includes highly
be exported in a dedicated file format that can be specialized capabilities that are necessary to study
opened in both Simcenter STAR-CCM+™ software and thermal runaway progress and related safety aspects.
Simcenter Amesim™ software.
Finally, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ can be coupled with
Simcenter Amesim in co-simulation scenarios.
Simcenter Culgi
Simcenter Culgi™ software includes an extensive set of
Simcenter Amesim
tools for multiscale computational chemistry, ranging
Simcenter Amesim is an open, integrated and scalable
from quantum mechanics to fluid dynamics and from
multi-physics system simulation platform, allowing
molecular dynamics to statistical modeling. The soft-
engineers to virtually assess and optimize the perfor-
ware has proprietary mappers, wrappers and scripting
mance of all types of mechatronic systems. The soft-
environments that allow engineers to deal with industri-
ware drives the balancing of multiple design require-
ally relevant formulations.
ments from start to finish, from concept design to final
Simcenter Culgi is particularly well suited to study bat- validation and controls calibration.
tery material performance at the molecular level, such
Simcenter Amesim combines ready-to-use and validated
as the transport of ions through membranes at ambient
multi-physics libraries with application-oriented solu-
and nonambient conditions. At the same time, degrada-
tions and powerful platform capabilities to let simula-
tion effects caused by the charging cycles and possible
tion engineers rapidly create models and perform accu-
other environmental factors can be studied. After model
rate analysis. The tool is particularly fit for battery
validation has been completed, engineers can virtually
design stakeholders who need to consider the battery
screen for new materials to improve battery performance.
pack as part of a bigger system, such as powertrain
architects, software and controls engineers, vehicle
Simcenter STAR-CCM+
systems engineers, power electronics engineers, vehicle
Simcenter STAR-CCM+ is a dedicated 3D software that
integrators and more.
allows the multi-physics CAE/CFD expert to accurately
predict battery performance, including all physics of At the start of the pack design, engineers can use
influence, including the ones that cross the boundaries Simcenter Amesim for battery pre-sizing based on a
of traditional engineering disciplines. database of pre-calibrated cells or by importing charac-
teristics from a Simcenter Battery Design Studio RCR
Using Simcenter STAR-CCM+ enables the user to take
model and technical targets that have been determined
multi-physics literally. The software even has tools to
by cascading vehicle requirements down to the compo-
predict the spatial distribution of ions and potential
nent level.
within an arbitrary, multi-phase microstructure region,
such as the electric potential and salt concentration in As both battery and EV development evolve, Simcenter
electrolytes, and concentration of Lithium in active Amesim improves collaboration between the teams on
electrode parts. These functionalities are helpful for both tracks by enabling them to predict in-vehicle bat-
electrode design. tery performance and assess future interactions
between the battery and surrounding systems. This

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 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

enables engineers on both sides to front load design Simcenter Engineering services and VEM test facilities
decisions and avoid endless iterations. As such, the During all battery and BEV design process steps, OEMs
software can help to significantly shorten the overall and suppliers can get in touch with Simcenter
design cycle. Engineering and Consulting services experts. They have
a broad engineering proficiency across industries and
Simcenter Amesim can easily include 3D simulation or
applications and can provide help with scalable projects
tested data for increased accuracy or can be engaged in
tailored to the customer’s needs, from troubleshooting
co-simulation scenarios with Simcenter STAR-CCM+, for
problems, to larger parts of the product development,
example, for designing the battery management
to methodology deployment, all in a collaborative atmo-
system.
sphere and with the possibility of technology transfer.
As Simcenter Amesim models are capable of running in
Simcenter Engineering and Consulting services can
real time, the tool is particularly suitable for validation
include all simulation applications as depicted above or
of control strategies in SiL, MiL and HiL scenarios.
can also provide complementary development efforts
Simcenter HEEDS such as implementing testing methodologies for bench-
All steps in the battery design process that spans marking and target setting, the experimental determi-
Simcenter Battery Design Studio, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ nation of parameters related to new materials and
and Simcenter Amesim can be automated. As a result, technologies, or final prototype validation. The experts
choices that must be made at different levels can be use Simcenter testing solutions and leading-edge 3D
subjected to design exploration studies. This can be and 1D simulation to significantly speed up the develop-
done in Simcenter HEEDS™ software. ment time of a new battery and its vehicle integration.

Simcenter HEEDS multi-disciplinary design exploration Simcenter Engineering and Consulting services has
and optimization capabilities enable engineers to fully proprietary VEM testing facilities, where predecessor or
exploit their simulation models by enabling extensive competitor vehicles have been studied in the context of
parameter studies in an environment that embraces target setting, or where the final battery prototype can
input from various origins. All this can happen with be tested for various drive cycles inside the vehicle and
optimal use of the available computational resources in climate-controlled conditions.
and supported by efficient search algorithms. In this
way, engineers can discover new designs, optimize
performance and improve robustness in a fraction of
time it would take otherwise.
For example, engineers can use Simcenter HEEDS to
study the battery at the cell level, to maximize its capac-
ity considering a fixed pack design but only working on
cell chemistry, or at the battery module level, working
on its geometry and characteristics.
Simcenter HEEDS allows semiautomatic, efficient and
safe exploration of hundreds of design variations aim-
ing to balance the performance of multiple aspects
while respecting system constraints.

Figure 11. the vehicle energy management testing facilities in Lyon, France.

Siemens Digital Industries Software 15

 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

Conclusion

In this white paper we have discussed the specific chal- engineering, Simcenter Battery Design for cell defini-
lenges that come with designing Li-ion automotive tion, Simcenter STAR-CCM+ for pack and cooling design,
batteries and their integration into BEVs. Simcenter Amesim for the design of, and integration
with all the surrounding systems and Simcenter testing
Making a Li-ion battery that performs well, can be rap-
for target setting and final prototype validation. And, if
idly charged and is reliable and safe requires the com-
necessary, supported by Simcenter Engineering and
bined knowledge of many engineering discipline
Consulting services experts.
experts. As the battery is connected to all its subsys-
tems, the battery design process cannot be entirely Simcenter solutions include all the necessary physics
decoupled from the BEV engineering process. We depict that drive Li-ion battery development, such as advanced
the importance of following a simulation-driven electrochemistry, structural, thermal and flow analysis,
approach, complemented by physical testing on a plat- as well as tools for numerous applications, such as the
form that encourages collaboration and diminishes the development of software and controls, battery manage-
danger of stakeholders working in silos. ment systems, power electronics and vehicle thermal
systems.
With Simcenter, we offer OEMs and battery suppliers a
complete, open and scalable engineering environment By deploying Simcenter solutions in their battery and
that includes all the components they need to be suc- BEV engineering processes, OEMs and suppliers can
cessful. This includes Simcenter Culgi for materials profitably make the switch to an electrified fleet.

Siemens Digital Industries Software 16

 White paper | Designing tomorrow’s Li-ion battery

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Siemens Digital Industries Software 17

Siemens Digital Industries Software About Siemens Digital Industries Software
Siemens Digital Industries Software is driving transfor-
Headquarters mation to enable a digital enterprise where engineer-
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