SOLUTION SHOWCASE
Environmental battery testing and safety aspects – Weiss Technik
Tuesday 08, 14:30h - 14:45h
| Discovery Stage
Open Access
2026-09-08 14:30
2026-09-08 14:45
Europe/Madrid
Environmental battery testing and safety aspects – Weiss Technik
Discovery Stage
The global battery industry is undergoing rapid expansion, driven by the accelerating demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, and large scale cell production capacity. Studies from institutions such as Fraunhofer ISI, RWTH Aachen, S&P Global, McKinsey, Statista, and the IEA highlight a dramatic increase in planned global cell manufacturing capacities by 2030, reflecting both technological evolution and market diversification. This growth is accompanied by a broad range of cell formats—cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch—and a shift in chemistries. While NMC remains dominant today, LFP is expected to gain substantial market share due to its cost efficiency, improved safety, and longer life cycle. Blade type LFP cells, driven mainly by Chinese manufacturers, further underline this trend. Sodium ion batteries emerge as an additional alternative, particularly relevant for future safety considerations.
As battery technologies evolve, safety challenges grow accordingly. The presentation outlines the sequence of thermal instability mechanisms, beginning with SEI decomposition, progressing through separator failure, and potentially resulting in full thermal runaway. These events release flammable vent gases with defined explosion limits, influenced by cell chemistry, state of charge, trigger mechanisms, and environmental conditions. Understanding these behaviors is essential for designing reliable safety testing methods.
International standards such as IEC 62660 2, UL 2580, SAE J2464, UN 38.3, and EUCAR Hazard Levels provide a structured framework for assessing battery failure risks. EUCAR Hazard Levels, ranging from 0 (no effect) to 7 (explosion), play a central role in defining safety requirements and designing test setups.
A major focus lies on advanced test chambers for abusive testing and certification. The battery abuse chamber (ExtremeEvent) concept integrates explosion resistant construction, including pressure release mechanisms and different options like integrated heating or combined remote heating and cooling systems. Modular and scalable chamber designs enable testing at cell and module levels under mechanical, thermal, or electrical stress conditions.
A practical example involving an overheated large prismatic NMC cell demonstrates how controlled thermal abuse can reveal critical behaviors such as gas venting, pressure rise, and potential progression toward thermal runaway.
Overall, the presentation shows that modern safety testing can significantly mitigate battery risks but cannot fully eliminate failure scenarios due to unknown behaviors, new chemistries, manufacturing tolerances, and real world usage patterns. Comprehensive testing strategies remain essential for supporting the safe and sustainable growth of the global battery industry.
The global battery industry is undergoing rapid expansion, driven by the accelerating demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage, and large scale cell production capacity. Studies from institutions such as Fraunhofer ISI, RWTH Aachen, S&P Global, McKinsey, Statista, and the IEA highlight a dramatic increase in planned global cell manufacturing capacities by 2030, reflecting both technological evolution and market diversification. This growth is accompanied by a broad range of cell formats—cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch—and a shift in chemistries. While NMC remains dominant today, LFP is expected to gain substantial market share due to its cost efficiency, improved safety, and longer life cycle. Blade type LFP cells, driven mainly by Chinese manufacturers, further underline this trend. Sodium ion batteries emerge as an additional alternative, particularly relevant for future safety considerations.
As battery technologies evolve, safety challenges grow accordingly. The presentation outlines the sequence of thermal instability mechanisms, beginning with SEI decomposition, progressing through separator failure, and potentially resulting in full thermal runaway. These events release flammable vent gases with defined explosion limits, influenced by cell chemistry, state of charge, trigger mechanisms, and environmental conditions. Understanding these behaviors is essential for designing reliable safety testing methods.
International standards such as IEC 62660 2, UL 2580, SAE J2464, UN 38.3, and EUCAR Hazard Levels provide a structured framework for assessing battery failure risks. EUCAR Hazard Levels, ranging from 0 (no effect) to 7 (explosion), play a central role in defining safety requirements and designing test setups.
A major focus lies on advanced test chambers for abusive testing and certification. The battery abuse chamber (ExtremeEvent) concept integrates explosion resistant construction, including pressure release mechanisms and different options like integrated heating or combined remote heating and cooling systems. Modular and scalable chamber designs enable testing at cell and module levels under mechanical, thermal, or electrical stress conditions.
A practical example involving an overheated large prismatic NMC cell demonstrates how controlled thermal abuse can reveal critical behaviors such as gas venting, pressure rise, and potential progression toward thermal runaway.
Overall, the presentation shows that modern safety testing can significantly mitigate battery risks but cannot fully eliminate failure scenarios due to unknown behaviors, new chemistries, manufacturing tolerances, and real world usage patterns. Comprehensive testing strategies remain essential for supporting the safe and sustainable growth of the global battery industry.