Harry Husted discusses the latest innovations in LFP battery design
Harry Husted discusses the latest innovations in LFP battery design.
Back in September, BorgWarner debuted a series of new product launches at IAA Transportation, aimed at improving the sustainability of commercial transport. Through the launches – and backed by more than a century of expertise in the sector – the electrification and mobility solutions manufacturer is poised to further accelerate innovation within the electric vehicle (EV) market.
One particularly exciting advancement from the company is its innovative design approach to Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery packs, says CTO Harry Husted.
“LFP brings several advantages, the first being cost,” he says. “The availability of lithium, iron and phosphate is a lot higher than the chemistries in many existing batteries, such as nickel, manganese and cobalt, which are rare and therefore expensive. So, LFP brings a fundamental cost advantage as it reduces the cost of the battery pack.”
But the lower price point isn’t the only benefit, Husted adds: “The other advantage with LFP is its higher cycle life, which is a considerable benefit for commercial vehicles. With our battery pack design, we have a faster charging rate, so we’re able to achieve the required energy density while also charging the battery faster than the technology we currently have today. So, those are three key advantages of LFP and the reasons why we’re heading in that direction with our new generation of battery packs.”
NEW DESIGN APPROACH
Focusing its attention on LFP has required BorgWarner’s approach to battery pack design to evolve. “For us, it’s about designing the battery pack to be able to package a completely different type of cell,” Husted explains. “The cells we’ve been used to using are small, cylindrical cells which we package a lot of, and now for LFP we’ve had to change our design to use what’s called a blade cell. Blade cells are very long and very thin – you can’t just stack them together like layers in a sandwich, so we had to change our design paradigm for the battery pack.”
In February last year, BorgWarner announced a strategic partnership with FinDreams Battery, a subsidiary of BYD Company Limited, for the rights to localise the production of LFP battery packs for commercial vehicles in Europe, the Americas and select regions in Asia. Through the agreement, FinDreams will supply BorgWarner with its LFP blade cells and some production equipment for battery pack assembly, while BorgWarner handles the design of the battery packs.
“What’s really nice about the blade cell is its form factor,” says Husted. “It’s very thin yet holds a lot of energy, so you get this very tall, thin cell structure that needs less complication around it in the battery pack to be put together. What this means is when you pack them together, you don’t need to put structural components with them, they become somewhat structural themselves, so you can pack them very tightly. At the cell level, LFP cells have a lower energy density than nickel-manganese-cobalt equivalents, but because they can be packaged together more tightly you regain that density at the battery pack level. For cooling, we simply attach a cooling plate on the bottom of the pack, which is very space efficient.”
DESIGN FLEXIBILITY
In terms of vehicle compatibility, the firm’s LFP battery packs will be suitable for the full spectrum of commercial transportation vehicles, from small last-mile delivery EVs up to HGVs. “LFP is currently being used in passenger vehicles, in heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and our focus is really on the commercial vehicle side,” Husted says. “We’re able to apply the battery packs to light, medium and heavy-duty vehicles due to our ability to create different form factors for the battery packs. A big part of this is packaging, as different vehicles have different form factors.”
Husted continues: “One form factor we have is called the flat pack, which has a very low height of 14cm. This was designed to be packaged underneath the floor of a transit bus, for example, which is something we hadn’t been able to do in the past. Meanwhile, you look at a medium or heavy duty truck and that form factor isn’t necessary – those vehicle manufacturers want a box that sits next to the frame rail. So, we took that same battery pack and basically folded it up into a cube, which allows us to apply it to trucks. Because we have these different packaging variants, we’re able to cover a wide range of vehicles.”
This flexibility is important, Husted says, as the company identified a trend toward vehicle manufacturers wanting to offer different battery pack sizes in the same vehicle. “Our packs come in 50kW blocks, meaning you can add capacity as you go,” he explains. “Manufacturers don’t need to just buy one big battery pack, instead they can take a more modular approach which helps the market to offer different battery solutions.”
Husted says BorgWarner’s goal is to put its LFP battery packs into production by the end of 2026, with the hopes of building this area up to form a “major chunk” of its business in the future.
For more information visit www.borgwarner.com
