Batteries in electric vehicles can fail quickly, sometimes catching fire without much warning. Sandia is working to detect these failures early and provide sufficient warning time to vehicle occupants.
While electric vehicles have systems to detect performance issues with lithium-ion batteries, these systems are not focused on imminent safety concerns. “The nature of battery fires can vary widely, depending on the failure mode. Some batteries self-heat for hours, while others are abrupt and aggressive,” said Alex Bates, a member of Sandia’s battery safety group. “The battery starts heating uncontrollably, ultimately resulting in a fire.”
Current measurements in battery management systems capture temperature and voltage, but these are lagging indicators of safety issues. This means a warning may not appear until it’s too late — when the battery is about to catch fire or is already on fire.