As the need for increased battery capacity and lifespan continues to grow, creating a reliable and robust battery management system (BMS) is arguably the biggest challenge facing developing battery technology. Hear from top scientists as they discuss how to extend the life of their battery packs and use battery management systems to maintain storage capacity, all the while ensuring batteries run within safe conditions. High-level cell engineers, and R&D scientists from OEMS, manufacturers and national labs, along with top academics will discuss designing internal battery pack topology, new monitoring methods, balancing mechanisms and simplifying circuitry to develop long lasting and reliable batteries.

Final Agenda

Wednesday, March 22

11:10 am Conference Registration Open

11:10 Luncheon Presentation (Sponsorship Opportunity Available) or Enjoy Lunch on Your Own

Plenary Keynote Program

12:40 pm Opening Remarks

12:45 Battery Innovator Award

12:55 Gigafactory Material Sourcing and Cell Production

Kurt Kelty, Senior Director, Cell Supply Chain & Business Development, Tesla Motors

This presentation will examine the status on material sourcing and sustainable material sourcing for the Gigafactory. In addition, the production of cells for energy products manufactured at the Gigafactory including the Powerwall and Powerpack will be discussed.

1:25 Surprising Chemistry in Li-Ion Cells

Jeff Dahn, Ph.D., FRSC, Professor of Physics and Atmospheric Science, NSERC/Tesla Canada Industrial Research Chair, and Canada Research Chair, Dalhousie University

It is important to increase the operating voltage of NMC Li-ion cells to obtain higher energy density. However, the electrolyte reacts with the positive electrode at high voltage. Using simple experiments involving only pouch bags, we show that the products of these reactions are extremely harmful to the positive electrode. This talk demonstrates how these harmful reactions at the positive electrode can be virtually stopped, leading to superb NMC Li-ion cells that can operate at high potential.

1:55 Advances within the BYD EDV Program and Its Technology

Xi Shen, Ph.D., Senior Director and General Manager, BYD EDV Batteries, China

WenFeng Jiang, Ph.D., R&D General Manager, BYD EDV Batteries, China

The high demand EDV for transportation worldwide has created significant market opportunities for BYD. Since the earlier F3DM and E6, BYD has broadly expanded its EDV business and technology to various fields including public transportation (e6 and E-bus), private transportation (Qin, Tang, etc.) and special transportation (forklift, city logistics vehicle, city cleaning vehicle, etc.) This talk shares the progress of the EDV program.

2:25 Charging Forward: Explosive Global Growth in the Battery Industry – Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Ph.D., CEO, Founder, Chairman, Cadenza Innovation, LLC; Founder, Boston Power

This talk will highlight insights on the emerging global ecosystem that is rapidly developing complex systems and opening doors to innovators who are teaming up with established battery and non–battery players. The presentation will inspire the audience to stay true to data and yet push the design envelope for high performance, low cost, safe energy storage solutions.

2:55 Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

Understanding Wear & Abuse

3:40 Organizer’s Opening Remarks

Victoria Mosolgo, Associate Conference Producer, Cambridge EnerTech

3:45 Chairperson’s Remarks

Craig Arnold, Ph.D., Director, Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University

3:50 Mechanical Phenomena and Their Effects on Electrochemical Performance in Li-Ion Battery Systems

Craig Arnold, Ph.D., Director, Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University

Lithium-ion batteries are well-known to experience mechano-electrochemical phenomena and in this presentation, we discuss how the evolution of internal and external mechanical stress is coupled to electrochemical performance over the life of a battery. We will explore effects of mechanical and electrochemical localization which accumulate over many cycles and lead to accelerated aging and the onset of lithium dendrite growth.

4:20 Looking Inside Batteries – An Investigation into Dendrite Behavior

Laura Xing, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering (CALCE), University of Maryland

Dendrites are known to be one cause of failures in Li-ion batteries. To enable in situ observations and assess dendrite growth as a function of current density, temperature and electrolyte compositions, an optical cell was developed. Results of the dendrite formation, morphologies and factor dependencies will be presented.

4:50 Battery Management System Using Stress/Strain Information

Anna Stefanopoulou, Ph.D., Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan

Maximizing the utilization of Lithium-ion batteries relies on accurate prediction of their complex electrochemical, thermal and mechanical behavior. In this presentation, we will highlight key innovations for such a predictive battery management system. Application of these techniques in robotic and automotive applications will be presented.

5:20 Sponsored Presentation (Opportunity Available)

5:35 Networking Reception in Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

6:30 Close of Day

Thursday, March 23

7:45 am Registration Open

7:45 Interactive Breakout Discussion Groups with Continental Breakfast

Participants choose a specific breakout discussion group to join. Each group has a moderator to ensure focused discussions around key issues within the topic. This format allows participants to meet potential collaborators, share examples from their work, vet ideas with peers, and be part of a group problem-solving endeavor. The discussions provide an informal exchange of ideas and are not meant to be a corporate or specific product discussion.

TABLE 1: Getting Great Technology to Market: Licensing Business Models and Strategies

Dan Abraham, Ph.D., Vice President, Science and Business Strategy, MPEG LA

TABLE 2: Development of North American Supply of Low-Cost Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Edward R. Buiel, Ph.D., President and CEO, Coulometrics, LLC

TABLE 3: Fast Charging of Lithium-Ion Battery and Its Impact on Safety and Life

Wenquan Lu, Ph.D., Principal Chemical Engineer, Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory

TABLE 4: Addressing Li-Ion Cell-Level Safety and Performance Requirements for EV Applications as Commercially Available Energy Densities Approach 300 Wh/kg

Derek C. Johnson, Ph.D., Vice President, Global R&D, A123 Systems, LLC

TABLE 5: Lessons Learned from the Samsung Galaxy Note7 Battery Safety Events

Shmuel De-Leon, CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy, Ltd.

TABLE 6: Li-Ion Battery Safety: Prediction, Prevention, Levels and Legalities

John Zhang, Ph.D., Senior Technology Executive Officer, Asahi Kensai Group, Japan

TABLE 7: Conductive Additives for High Rate LIB Performance

Rob Privette, Vice President, Energy Markets, XG Sciences

TABLE 8: Battery Modeling and Simulation

Khosrow (Nema) Nematollahi, Ph.D., Chairman and CTO, Renewable Energy, Advanced Renewable Power LLC

TABLE 9: Lessons Learned in Commercialization of New Battery Technologies

Colin Wessells, Ph.D., CEO, Alveo Energy

TABLE 10: Battery Charging, What Features Will Be Required in the Future?

Naoki Matsumura, Senior Technologist, Intel Corporation

8:45 Session Break

Novel BMS & Applications

9:00 Chairperson’s Remarks

Girish Chowdhary, Ph.D., Director, Distributed Autonomous Systems Lab, Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

9:05 An Automated Battery Management System to Enable Persistent Missions with Multiple Aerial Vehicles

Girish Chowdhary, Ph.D., Director, Distributed Autonomous Systems Lab, Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

With most popular UAS (drones) having an endurance of less than 20 minutes, automated battery management systems have been envisioned as one way to increase mission endurance. In this talk, I will present our work on algorithms, software, and hardware for an automated battery management system that automatically tasks multiple UAS to enable long-endurance missions. The system has been demonstrated to enable missions exceeding 3 hours with 3 UAS which each has a single-charge flight time of 10 minutes.

9:35 Power Electronics Based Battery Energy Management Systems for Electric Transportation

David Capano, Researcher & Sheldon Williamson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of Ontario

This talk will illustrate how to enable aggressive usage while maintaining safety through the use of a power electronics based battery energy management system.

10:05 BMS Design for Lithium-Ion Batteries, A Holistic Approach

Tom Hoeger, Senior Power Systems Engineer, Naval Surface Warfare Center

With the proliferation of lithium-ion batteries, the BMS design has become as critical to battery safety and performance as cell selection. Designers often have a very narrow view as to what comprises the BMS resulting in excess complexity, reduced performance and failure to meet requirements. This discussion will identify the components making up the BMS, from battery cell to system level, and demonstrate utilizing this knowledge to produce an effective BMS and battery which meets performance and safety requirements.

10:35 Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

11:20 Battery Cycle Life Extension by Charging Algorithm to Reduce IOT Cost of Ownership

Naoki Matsumura, Ph.D., Senior Technologist, Intel

IOT devices expect Li-ion batteries to have a long cycle life because they may be used in areas where battery replacement is not easy. This session talks about a method to extend battery cycle life through battery charging algorithm. This is expected to reduce the cost of ownership as it enables less battery replacement.

11:50 Increased EV Utility Realized through Extreme Fast Charging (up to 350kW)

Christopher Michelbacher, Ph.D., Battery Performance & Research Design Scientist, Energy Storage & Transportation Systems, Idaho National Laboratory

The implementation of charging up to 350kW is expected to impact many technology areas. Four market pillars are identified (Battery Implications, Vehicle Implications, Infrastructure Implications, and Economic Feasibility) and within each subset, areas of interest specified. Through each market pillar, technology gaps were identified via a technology road-map which will serve as the first phase of evaluation and help focus future research decisions for a more impactful and timely release of technology and products to the market.

12:20 pm Sponsored Presentation (Opportunity Available)

12:50 Session Break

1:00 Networking Luncheon (All Are Welcome)

2:00 Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

Modeling Safer Batteries

2:30 Chairperson’s Remarks

Eric Darcy, Ph.D., Battery Technical Discipline Lead, Propulsion and Power Division, NASA-JSC/EP5

2:35 Insights from Tests with an On-Demand Internal Short Circuit Device in 18650 Cell Designs

Eric Darcy, Ph.D., Battery Technical Discipline Lead, Propulsion and Power Division, NASA-JSC/EP5

The NREL/NASA device has been implanted in 2 cell designs with 3 more underway. We have learned that a tri-layer shutdown separator is effective at shutting down collector-collector shorts in a 2.4Ah cell design, but not anode to aluminum shorts. We also learned that sidewall ruptures can be induced when the device is located 3 winds into the JR though no sidewall ruptures occur with numerous circumferential heater TR tests. We will be assessing the benefits of the bottom vent in preventing sidewall ruptures with the device.

3:05CO-PRESENTATION: Electric Vehicle Battery Prognostics and Health Management: Mobility and Durability

Jay Lee, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor, University of Cincinnati

Mohammad Rezvani, Battery Systems Engineer, Workhorse Group Inc.

Analysis of lithium-ion battery raw data during charge/drive processes enables us to develop battery degradation models in multi-regime conditions to estimate SoH. When a battery reaches an unmanageable level of degradation, or before a failure takes place, the Smart Battery pack can recommend the best course of action or maintenance task, while also allowing the user to infer the best time to replace the battery.

3:35 Dramatically Improved Battery Safety with In-Cell Sensors and Actuators

Chao-Yang Wang, Ph.D., Professor & William E. Diefenderfer Chair, Mechanical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University

I shall describe a highly robust and durable internal temperature sensor (ITS) enabling substantial improvement in the battery’s high-temperature safety and thermal management. We show for the first time that our embedded ITS can survive more than 2,500 battery cycles or equivalently more than 25 years/250,000 miles of vehicle life. Such an ITS is particularly indispensable for large-size electric vehicle batteries as the response lag of the surface temperature behind the interior temperature grows substantially with the cell size.

4:05 Networking Refreshment Break

4:15 R&D: Cost Reduction & Energy Density Improvements: Manufacturing R&D for Low-Cost, High-Energy Density Lithium-Ion Batteries for Transportation Applications

David L. Wood, III, Ph.D., Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing Team Lead & Fuel Cell Technologies Program Manager, Energy & Transportation Science Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Li-ion battery pack costs have dropped from ~$500-600/kWh to $275-325/kWh due to economies of scale, improvements in electrode and cell quality control, and more efficient production methods. However, more development on electrode processing cost reduction, coating deposition quality control, and cell assembly methods must occur to meet DOE ultimate pack cost of $125/kWh for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Cell energy densities must still be increased 150-180 Wh/kg to 350 Wh/kg for sufficient BEV driving range.

4:45 KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: How to Significantly Increase Energy Density of Lithium-Ion Batteries without Changing Chemistry

Rachid Yazami, Ph.D., Professor and Principal Scientist, Energy Research Institute (ERIAN), Nanyang Technological University

Efforts to increase energy density of LIBs have been for the most part focused on developing anode and cathode materials with higher lithium storage capabilities and, for the cathode, higher operating voltages. This approach, however, may alter cycle life and safety. Here we disclose a new approach consisting on optimized utilization of full storage capability of anode and cathode. In fact, using thermodynamics measurements and analytical methods we found that in most commercial LIBs anode and cathode are used within a limited lithium composition range 20 to 40% below what is achieved in half cells. A strategy to enhance electrode utilization rate and, therefore, energy density by over 20% will be presented and discussed.

5:45 Close of Conference