BATT CAVE
Electrifying Experts
Anthony Bombik
By Eric Butterman
Anthony Bombik’s passion for batteries dates to the advent of Tesla’s electric vehicle. Today the expertise he’s developed around this passion is making EV battery packs safer and more efficient.
With EVs requiring battery power thousands of times stronger than a cell phone, their batteries are structured in a “pack,” created by clusters of modules made up of clusters of cells. “A popular push in the field is to enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries to compete with gas-powered vehicles,” said Bombik, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
“Our team is concentrating on optimizing the integration of these batteries into the vehicle system, which is key to extending battery pack life as well as increasing their safety.”
Building a better battery pack is a complex proposition. It requires experimenting with the design of the materials used to achieve the electrochemical and structural components or using conventional batteries packaged in a way to obtain higher efficiency. Bombik’s team is preparing to conduct experiments to assess the various mechanical and thermal stress scenarios on batteries at the module and system levels. Such design improvements are relevant for street-legal use.
Another challenge in pack manufacturing is battery health, a problem widespread across many applications for lithium-ion batteries. In consumer electronics, particularly cell phones and laptops, battery life is seldom more than one to two years due to constant cycling from near-full capacity to empty. This “battery fade” limits a consistently reliable range for the eight- to 10-year life of the electric car’s warranty. As a result, many manufacturers limit the usable capacity of each cell by as much as 30 percent.
“Right now, EVs are operating at only 70% to 80% of their maximum possible range,” he said. “By learning and understanding the physical mechanisms that lead to capacity fade and deriving methods to measure, predict and prevent degradation, we can open up the usable window on the battery pack capacity to nearly 100%. It’s exciting for our team to be at the center of something that will have a positive impact on society.”
‘I have been received by my BATT CAVE partners with respect and confidence. Having shared my interest in marine energy, I was given the freedom to combine this with my battery research work.’
– Ivana Yoli Franco Barski, Ph.D. student, mechanical engineering
Meet the BATT CAVE Team
Groundbreaking research, curriculum and collaborations are fueling North Carolina’s ascent as a hub for EV and battery production. BATT CAVE researchers — and their graduate students — are driving solutions regarding next-generation batteries for vehicles, smart cities and intelligent systems.
Tiefu Zhao
Power Transformer
Artur Wolek
Remote Controller
Amir Ghasemi
Self-driving Director
Lin Ma
Element Investigator
ELECTRIFYING INNOVATION
Batt Cave: Electrifying Experts
Anthony Bombik
By Eric Butterman
Anthony Bombik’s passion for batteries dates to the advent of Tesla’s electric vehicle. Today the expertise he’s developed around this passion is making EV battery packs safer and more efficient.
With EVs requiring battery power thousands of times stronger than a cell phone, their batteries are structured in a “pack,” created by clusters of modules made up of clusters of cells. “A popular push in the field is to enhance the performance of lithium-ion batteries to compete with gas-powered vehicles,” said Bombik, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
“Our team is concentrating on optimizing the integration of these batteries into the vehicle system, which is key to extending battery pack life as well as increasing their safety.”
Building a better battery pack is a complex proposition. It requires experimenting with the design of the materials used to achieve the electrochemical and structural components or using conventional batteries packaged in a way to obtain higher efficiency. Bombik’s team is preparing to conduct experiments to assess the various mechanical and thermal stress scenarios on batteries at the module and system levels. Such design improvements are relevant for street-legal use.
Another challenge in pack manufacturing is battery health, a problem widespread across many applications for lithium-ion batteries. In consumer electronics, particularly cell phones and laptops, battery life is seldom more than one to two years due to constant cycling from near-full capacity to empty. This “battery fade” limits a consistently reliable range for the eight- to 10-year life of the electric car’s warranty. As a result, many manufacturers limit the usable capacity of each cell by as much as 30 percent.
“Right now, EVs are operating at only 70% to 80% of their maximum possible range,” he said. “By learning and understanding the physical mechanisms that lead to capacity fade and deriving methods to measure, predict and prevent degradation, we can open up the usable window on the battery pack capacity to nearly 100%. It’s exciting for our team to be at the center of something that will have a positive impact on society.”
‘I have been received by my BATT CAVE partners with respect and confidence. Having shared my interest in marine energy, I was given the freedom to combine this with my battery research work.’
– Ivana Yoli Franco Barski, Ph.D. student, mechanical engineering
Meet the BATT CAVE Team
Groundbreaking research, curriculum and collaborations are fueling North Carolina’s ascent as a hub for EV and battery production. BATT CAVE researchers — and their graduate students — are driving solutions regarding next-generation batteries for vehicles, smart cities and intelligent systems.
Tiefu Zhao
Power Transformer
Artur Wolek
Remote Controller
Amir Ghasemi
Self-driving Director
Lin Ma
Element Investigator