Cambridge EnerTech’s

Advances in Automotive Battery Applications

Optimizing High-Performance Batteries for EVs

March 18-19, 2025



With exploding global EV demand driving innovation that will accelerate R&D in advanced lithium batteries for automotive applications, this conference will address the critical issues in application-driven development from design to systems as barriers that are overcome to bring products to market as well as improve the capabilities of existing products. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from the key players around the globe on how they are finding success in conquering the challenges of commercialization.

Monday, March 17

7:00 amRegistration and Morning Coffee

4:45 pmClose of Day

Tuesday, March 18

7:00 amRegistration Open and Morning Coffee

OEM APPLICATION-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

8:05 am

Organizer's Remarks

Craig Wohlers, General Manager, Cambridge EnerTech

8:10 am

Chairperson's Remarks

Tobias Glossmann, Principal Systems Engineer, HV Battery Research and Test Lab, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America

8:15 am

Bridging Lab and Real-World Battery Cell Testing Challenges

Saewon Kim, Senior Battery Cell Engineer, Lucid Motors

This session introduces an innovative approach for testing battery cell lifetimes in automotive applications by devising scenarios that reflect diverse customer behaviors through fleet data analysis. This method captures realistic battery degradation trends under actual driving conditions and bridging the gap between lab-scale cell testing and vehicle-level aging tests. It also addresses the warranty concerns while complementing traditional lab testing environments.

8:45 am

Measurement Derived Pack-to-Pack Aging State Variance of Lithium-ion Batteries in Electric Buses

Dr. Natalia Cañas, Team Lead Battery, Energy Management and Testing, Daimler Buses

Susann Wunsch, Software Development Engineer, Daimler Buses GmbH

This talk presents the State of Health Inconsistency (SOHI), a new parameter designed to monitor the aging-state variance in connected batteries. This comprehensive approach provides insights into the aging processes, allowing for improved management and optimization of battery systems.

9:15 am

Dry Battery Electrode Manufacturing for Graphite Anodes

Frederik Morgenstern, Senior Battery Technology Engineer, BMW Group

The Dalhousie group demonstrated that expansion of active materials causes electrolyte flow in cylindrical cells upon cell cycling. We discuss the influence of this electrolyte inhomogeneity on cell performance and lifetime. This novel mechanism—which we termed "electrolyte motion-induced salt inhomogeneity” (EMSI)—is not restricted to cylindrical cells but can occur in all large-format lithium-ion cells under high compression.

9:45 amGrand Opening Refreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

10:30 am

Lightweighting in Automotive Batteries—Conflicts and Contradictions

Oliver Gross, MASc, SME Energy Storage and Conversion, Advanced Propulsion Technology, Stellantis

A lower weight EV battery will improve overall vehicle efficiency and energy use when the vehicle is in operation. There are many paths to reducing battery weight, through new materials and technologies, but also through prudent synergistic design and use cases. These routes can introduce other significant drawbacks as well, which need to be addressed in both the battery and vehicle design processes. This talk will compare and contrast different drivers and their respective figures of merit on battery lightweighting.

11:00 am

Overview of Battery Development Programs at USABC

Meng Jiang, PhD, Staff Researcher, R&D, General Motors Company

The United States Advanced Battery Consortium is a collaborative research partnership between Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis. USABC has been pursuing advanced energy storage technologies for electrified vehicles for over 30 years. In January 2024, DOE announced that the consortium will receive $60 million to support domestic battery development. (Pending ongoing negotiations.) This talk will highlight the recent history of USABC, as well as provide an overview of expected upcoming funding opportunities for US-based battery suppliers.

11:30 am

Solid-State Battery Commercialization: Status and Challenges

Alvaro Masias, Supervisor, Cell Technology Research, Ford Motor Company

Solid state batteries garner a large amount of attention as the future of next-generation battery chemistries and as a result it can be difficult to separate hype from reality in this important technology. This talk will discuss the status of solid state battery commercialization, important challenges remaining, and technology needs from an automotive OEM perspective.


12:00 pm Engineering High-Performance Battery Solutions for Electric Mobility

Ionel Stefan, CTO, Executive Team, Amprius Technologies

Amprius offers commercialized silicon anode cells that achieve 50-80% greater energy density and specific energy performance compared to conventional graphite-based lithium-ion batteries. These advanced batteries deliver up to 1,300 Wh/L and 500 Wh/kg while maintaining high rates of charge and discharge without overheating. Their robust cycle life supports demanding aerospace, military, and other high-end use cases, redefining what’s possible for next-generation energy storage solutions.

12:30 pmNetworking Luncheon

1:15 pmDessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

OEM APPLICATION-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT

1:45 pm

Chairperson's Remarks

Alvaro Masias, Supervisor, Cell Technology Research, Ford Motor Company

1:50 pm

Cathode Degradation Revisited—Automotive Perspective

Tobias Glossmann, Principal Systems Engineer, HV Battery Research and Test Lab, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America

Battery degradation is to a large part attributed to the anode. As the industry strives for higher performance batteries, the cathode is moving more into focus. If the battery can be utilized better, cost is effectively reduced and energy density increased. We have studied several aspects of cathode degradation and want to review it from an automotive perspective.

2:20 pm

Dry-Deposited, Thick, Highly Conductive Composite Electrodes for EV Battery Applications

Oleg Kuznetsov, PhD, Senior Scientist, Material Science, Honda Research Institute

EV batteries should be able to operate at higher C-rates (1-10C typical) for short periods of time, when more power is needed. Our novel dry-deposited composite electrodes, consisting of active material particles embedded into 3-dimensional network of pristine few-bundled SWCNTs, can be produced in a wide range of electrode parameters (≤3mm thick, ≤350mgactive material/cm2, ≤103S/m). Optimization of these parameters allows balancing high energy density with power performance of EV batteries.

2:40 pm

Daimler Truck Cell Technology

Rianne Schoeffler, Electrochemist & Battery Product Developer, Daimler Truck North America

Battery Electric Trucks are an important part of Daimler Trucks strategy to reduce GHG emissions. Daimler Truck has a vast perspective as the current market leader in HD trucking and has proven with a number of projects and products on a global scale how capable these electric trucks can be. This presentation will investigate the unique challenges for the electrification of heavy duty vehicles with a special focus on the need for a truckified cell.

ADVANCED BATTERY R&D FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

3:00 pm

Earth-Abundant Cathode-Active Materials: Research and Development Efforts at Argonne National Laboratory

Jason Croy, PhD, Group Leader, Materials Research Group, Electrochemical Energy Storage, Argonne National Lab

The Vehicle Technologies Office (US DoE) has established a consortium of six national laboratories to address the challenges of enabling sustainable cathode technologies. This consortium is focusing efforts across a wide range of materials and technology readiness levels. In this presentation, we will discuss ongoing efforts within the program aimed at the design, synthesis, and characterization of Mn-rich cathodes as alternative, next-generation materials.

3:20 pmRefreshment Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

PLENARY KEYNOTE

3:50 pm

Chairperson's Remarks and Presentation of the 2025 Shep Wolsky Battery Innovator Award

Craig Wohlers, General Manager, Cambridge EnerTech

3:55 pm

Can We Have a Safe Lithium-Metal Battery?

Shirley Meng, PhD, Director, Energy Storage Research Alliance (ESRA), Argonne National Laboratory; The Liew Family Professor, The University of Chicago

Along the pathway beyond 500 Wh/Kg, enabling lithium-metal anodes becomes a must. In this talk, I will introduce a new framework with which we can design lithium-metal anodes not only for high energy and long cycling, but also for safe operation. The design rule for possible anode-free architecture will also be discussed.

4:15 pm

The Importance of Passive Propagation Resistance in Battery Pack Design

Troy Hayes, PhD, Director of Quality, Tesla

More than 30 years after the first Li-ion battery was produced, random thermal runaway events still occur in the field. Despite the low probability of such incidents at the cell level, the volume of cells in EVs dictates that manufacturers must prepare for these occurrences. Ensuring that this does not create a significant risk to vehicle occupants is crucial and is a fundamental aspect of battery pack design. This talk will discuss the importance of passive propagation resistance and the rigors of testing given the stochastic nature of Li-ion battery thermal runaway.

4:40 pm

A Comprehensive Analysis of Modern Silicon-Carbon Nanocomposite Negative Electrode Materials for Li-ion Batteries

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

There is a huge world-wide push to develop and manufacture modern Silicon:Carbon nanocomposite materials (Si:C) for Li-ion batteries.   There are a handful of companies in the US (e.g. Sila, Group 14, etc.), several in Europe as well as OVER 70 companies in China developing and/or manufacturing such materials.  Why is this happening?   In this lecture I will describe the structure and properties of modern Si:C materials and show why they are so attractive compared to earlier alternatives.  The best materials show specific capacities near 2000 mAh/g, first cycle efficiencies near 90%, very little irreversible swelling during charge-discharge cycling and compatibility with simple binders like CMC/SBR.  The best materials can be used with typical Li-ion battery electrolytes with common electrolyte additives.  We will show results for Li-ion pouch cells containing 20% and 50% by weight of Si:C (balance graphite) where impressive cycle life has been achieved.  Energy density increases over "graphite-only" cells are very significant.   All the Si:C materials we have tested show large REVERSIBLE volume changes which means that significant care must be taken in cell design.  

5:05 pm

This and Next-Generation Battery Development—A UK Perspective

Martin Freer, PhD, CEO, Faraday Institution

The UK government set out a battery strategy in 2023 targeting the three elements, including design and development of the batteries of the future as well as strengthen the resilience of UK manufacturing supply chains and enabling the development of a sustainable battery industry. This is matched by a significant delivery program associated with the Faraday Battery Challenge, including the Faraday Institution which coordinates the UK's battery research program. This presentation will provide an overview of the UK's battery strategy, the development of associated research programs, and highlight future focus areas for research and innovation.

5:25 pm

Breaking News Announcement

Jun Shin, Principal Commodity Manager, Battery Strategy, Amazon

5:30 pmReception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

6:30 pmClose of Day

Wednesday, March 19

6:45 amRegistration Open

7:00 amCoffee Talk: Interactive Roundtable Discussions with Coffee & Pastries

Roundtable discussions are informal, moderated discussions with brainstorming and interactive problem-solving, allowing participants from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and experiences and develop future collaborations around a focused topic.


TABLE 1: Battery Raw Materials Supply Chain
Moderator: Robert Privette, Manager, Business Development, Rechargeable Battery Materials North America, Umicore USA, Inc.


TABLE 2: Li-ion NMC Fast Charging New Cells for E-Mobility
Moderator: Shmuel De-Leon, CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy Ltd.


TABLE 3: Electrolyte Developments: New Components and Approaches
Moderator: Sam Jaffe, Vice President, Battery Solutions, E Source


TABLE 4: Battery Pack System Cost and Safety – Will Future xEV Battery Packs Increase in Complexity or Simplify and How Will Cost and Safety Be Impacted?
Moderator: Kevin Konecky, Battery and Energy Storage Systems Consultant, Total Battery Consulting


TABLE 5: Innovations in Recycling Battery Materials & Second Life
Moderator: Steven Sloop, President, OnTo Technology LLC


TABLE 6: Opportunities and Barriers to Fast Charge in Automotive and Other Applications
Moderator: Brian Barnett, PhD, President, Battery Perspectives


TABLE 7: Provisional Patents to Due Diligence
Moderator: Grant Ehrlich, PhD, Member, Intellectual Property & Technology, Stites & Harbison PLLC


TABLE 8: Understanding the Pressure Effects on Li Metal Batteries
Moderator: Bin Li, Senior Scientist & Joint Professor, Electrification, Oak Ridge National Laboratory


TABLE 9: Challenges and Opportunities in the Distribution of Relaxation Times Analysis
Moderator: Tom Ruether, Lecturer & Chair, Electrical Energy Systems, University of Bayreuth


TABLE 10: How Will Emerging Technologies and Paradigms Impact the Future of Electrified Transportation?
Moderator: Benny Varghese, PhD, Research Engineer, Energy Storage & Advanced Transportation, Idaho National Laboratory


TABLE 11: Battery Testing & Aging
Moderator: Gerald Sammer, PhD, Principal Business Development Manager, AVL List GmbH


TABLE 12: Thermal Runaway
Moderator: Lin Liu, PhD, Professor, Mechanical Engineering, University of Kansas


TABLE 13: Consumer-Driven Trends in Battery Development for Personal Electronics
Moderator: John Wozniak, PhD, President, ESP Consulting


TABLE 14: Battery Electrolytes: Materials, Developments and Manufacturing
Moderator: Monica Usrey, R&D, Orbia Fluor & Energy Materials

ADVANCED BATTERY R&D FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS

7:55 am

Chairperson's Remarks

Jason Croy, PhD, Group Leader, Materials Research Group, Electrochemical Energy Storage, Argonne National Lab

8:00 am Material & Application Solutions to Enable Cell-to-Pack Battery Design

Dalton Conlon, Bus Dev Mgr, EMO, Henkel Corp

Traditional module-based BEV vehicle designs require components such as module casings. In new designs, such as cell-to-pack, the need for these components is eliminated, leading to a lighter and more compact battery pack. Without components such as module casings, however, the battery is susceptible to more demanding environmental and mechanical performance conditions. We’ll explore the integration and usefulness of technologies such as thermally conductive adhesives, dielectric coatings and structural adhesives within the context of this emerging battery design.

8:30 am

Optimizing Performance of LMFP/NMC Blends

Dee Strand, PhD, CSO, R&D, Wildcat Discovery Technologies, Inc.

This presentation shows a systematic evaluation of NMC and LMP blends with the aim of mapping the blend/performance space. The focus will be on performance metrics for high-energy cells with power performance sufficient for auto applications.

8:50 am

Updates in Lithium-Metal Battery Development for Electric Vehicle Applications

Alex Louli, PhD, Senior Applications Engineer, QuantumScape

Today’s lithium-ion batteries fall short of meeting consumer needs in key areas like driving range, charging speed, and safety. Solid-state lithium-metal batteries have the potential to bridge this gap by enabling longer range, faster charging, and enhanced safety. QuantumScape’s VP of Engineering, Will Hudson, will highlight recent developments in solid-state battery technology for automotive applications and discuss innovative commercialization strategies expected to get this technology on the road.

9:10 am

Wireless Battery Management Systems: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

Chris Mi, PhD, Fellow, IEEE & SAE; Distinguished Professor, San Diego State University

With the growing adoption of batteries, the effective management of battery systems has become increasingly critical. The advent of Wireless Battery Management Systems (wBMS) represents a significant innovation in battery management to overcome the challenges of traditional wired BMS, including complexity, increased weight, maintenance difficulties, and failure.  wBMS offers a robust solution, eliminating physical connections. It offers enhanced flexibility, reduced packaging complexity, and improved reliability. This talk explores its evolution, current state, and future directions. It will provide a comprehensive overview of state-of-the-art wBMS technologies, compare wireless communication technologies. discuss their performance in terms of efficiency, reliability, scalability, and security.

9:30 am

Improving Battery Reliability with X-ray Particle Contaminants Analysis

Dean Schmidt, US Key Account & Channel Partner Manager, Sales, Hitachi High Tech

The use of X-ray particle contaminants analysis technology can help battery manufacturers improve product safety, performance, and yield by rapidly detecting and analyzing unwanted metal particles. By improving overall yield and reducing waste, you can deliver a range of operational and strategic benefits for your organization, with solutions that are available now and developing in line with future trends.

9:45 am

Rethinking the Battery Test Lab Environment to Meet Future Testing Demands

Bob Zollo, Strategic Portfolio Planner, Automotive & Energy Solutions, Keysight Technologies

New EV battery pack designs with higher capacities require a new way of thinking about the test laboratory environment to achieve efficiency while maintaining flexibility. Testing general driving profiles usually requires low power at the test stand, while maximum power peaks are rare. This duty cycle can be exploited for savings. We will present an innovative, demand-driven power allocation approach with up to 20% savings in both the footprint and price, while guaranteeing sufficient power.

10:15 amCoffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

11:00 am

Outstanding Battery Performance and Safety in Automotive Applications by AI-Powered Digital Twins

Nikolaus Keuth, PhD, Head of Product and Solution Management, IODP XI Data Analytics Solutions, AVL List GmbH

In the rapidly evolving landscape of electric vehicles, ensuring battery safety and performance is paramount. The presentation delves into the innovative application of AI-powered digital twins for battery system.This cutting-edge approach aims to enhance battery safety, reduce warranty claims, and optimize performance through precise failure prediction and health monitoring. By leveraging data from development, telematics, and in-vehicle usage, this scalable digital twin architecture promises to revolutionize the automotive industry, offering significant cost savings and improved battery life

11:30 am Immersion Cooling: Why, How and What For? A Demonstration Using TotalEnergies Fluid Solutions

Gerard Quoirin, Battery specialist, TotalEnergies Lubrifiants S.A.

Immersion cooling of lithium batteries is now seen as a major advance in meeting the challenges of new-generation batteries: fast charging, high energy density, improved safety and enhanced durability. While the benefits of the immersion cooling method are no longer disputed, its implementation remains complex and requires new development methods. Using a number of concrete examples, from the PHEV to the EV, right through to the Battery Swapping concept, we will see how TotalEnergies fluids can respond to the different applications of immersed batteries.

OUTLOOK FOR EV MARKET EXPANSION

12:00 pm

EV Sales Review for 2024, Expectations Going Forward, and Implications for Battery Demand

Viktor Irle, Co-Founder & Market Analyst, EV Volumes

This presentation will cover the EV Sales Review of 2024, expectations going forward, and implications on battery demand, and will share the latest insights from collecting the facts in the EV industry. You will understand the best sellers, which countries and regions are doing the most for EV adoption, and what to expect in the future, both short term, and long term. These forecasts will also be translated into the battery demand.

12:20 pm

Industry Updates: Emerging Battery Technology and the Potential Changes to the Automotive Market

Michael Sanders, Senior Advisor, Energy, Avicenne Energy

There have been many announcements for capacity, new technology, and impact to the markets—many of these are overstated. Avicenne Energy will be sharing a realistic view and presenting updates on the mass commercialization of lithium-ion battery. Many emerging technologies could have impact for the automotive markets. Technologies to be covered are lithium-ion, dry process, solid state and sodium ion with key drivers, progress to date and forecasts.

12:40 pm

Battery Technology Roadmaps: Unravelling the Current Landscape and Confronting Challenges for Solid-State Batteries

Varnika Agarwal, Research Analyst, Rho Motion

The battery market saw a deployment of around 1.2TWh in 2024. Battery evolution is occurring in many different directions, with each avenue viewed as ‘the next big thing.’ Developments include advancements in LFP chemistry with LMFP, the use of silicon anodes, sodium ion or the emergence of ultra-fast charging technologies. However, solid-state batteries have gained interest for over a decade now.

1:00 pmNetworking Luncheon

2:15 pmDessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing

2:45 pmClose of Conference


For more details on the conference, please contact:

Craig Wohlers

General Manager

Cambridge EnerTech

Phone: (+1) 617-513-7576

Email: cwohlers@cambridgeenertech.com

 

For sponsorship information, please contact:

 

Companies A-K

Sherry Johnson

Lead Business Development Manager

Cambridge EnerTech

Phone: (+1) 781-972-1359

Email: sjohnson@cambridgeenertech.com

 

Companies L-Z

Rod Eymael

Senior Business Development Manager

Cambridge EnerTech

Phone: (+1) 781-247-6286

Email: reymael@cambridgeenertech.com