A European consortium of eighteen partners from the automotive industry, research, and technology specialists, has developed a complete cobalt-free lithium-ion battery system for electric vehicles. This system integrates a series of innovations in safety, control, and efficiency, intended for the next generation of batteries.

With a budget of €12 million, the COBRA project (CObalt-free Batteries for FutuRe Automotive Applications), co-financed by the European Commission, has completed four years of this “ambitious plan” with a full demonstration of the system. (Earlier post.) The battery pack, designed to be lighter, also incorporates innovative sensors, algorithms, and communications developed by the initiative.

According to Lluis Trilla, senior researcher at the Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC), the lead partner of the project, the most complex challenge has been the integration of all the innovations into a single demonstrator made with materials such as treated wood and recycled aluminum, which have reduced its external weight by 30% compared to other batteries.

The most interesting novelty is the innovative design of the BMS—Battery Management System—that incorporates internal wireless communications in the system, executing a series of algorithms and advanced models within the battery.

—Lluis Trilla

The complete battery system, consisting of 96 individual cobalt-free lithium-ion cells, contains temperature, deformation, and impedance sensors that inform the user about its status. Additionally, a pressure sensor and a gas detector can detect any internal reaction, providing useful information for monitoring its operation at all times.

Currently, the entire system is at TRL 6 on the scale measuring the maturity of a technology. However, team members expect that in the coming years it will be possible to reach TRL 9—a system successfully tested in a real environment—and that by 2030 some of these innovations can be applied to achieve more sustainable, efficient batteries with optimal performance.

COBRA is a project within the BATTECH initiative, the R+D+i reference center for batteries in Southern Europe.

COBRA project consortium: IREC, CIDETEC, Stockholm University, imec, Uppsala University, Solvionic, Fraunhofer ISIT, Fraunhofer LBF, ReSiTec AS, Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt, CEA, aentron, Infineon Technologies, TNO, Eurecat, AVL, Applus+ IDIADA, Bax.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement nº 875568.