Has found a solution to 'freeze' lithium ion batteries with liquid nitrogen, avoiding batteries to explode if there is a collision

The process of transporting a faulty or defective car battery is an extremely time-consuming and costly process. Because they need to be placed in explosion-proof boxes costing thousands of dollars.

However, researchers from the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick have teamed up with engineers from the Jaguar Land Rover car brand to temporarily freeze batteries with liquid nitrogen.

Freezing cells does not reduce the energy capacity of lithium ion batteries.

A box of explosion-proof batteries for Tesla electric vehicles typically cost about $ 11,000. But now electric vehicle batteries can be stored in plastic containers that cost only a few thousand dollars thanks to a new technology.

In an article called "Cycle life of lithium ion batteries after flash cryogenic freezing" , which translates as "Lithium ion battery life after freezing", published in the journal Energy Storage, the research team emphasized that freezing battery cells do not reduce the energy capacity of lithium ion batteries or affect their cycle or lifetime. Especially thanks to freezing batteries, we can transport them more safely.

Scientists use liquid nitrogen to freeze battery cells.

As electric vehicle sales are on the rise, there are concerns regarding the shipping of faulty or defective lithium ion batteries. But as mentioned above, the transportation process is extremely expensive.

Battery explosion-proof boxes prevent the battery from overheating and lead to violent explosions and release toxic gases. However, if we can freeze the battery, we can completely eliminate the risk of fire even if its container is made from plastic.

It is known that the team tested the battery performance before freezing the cells with liquid nitrogen and then they even nailed the battery cells to check whether the safety and battery performance were affected. after freezing no.

Use a pin to puncture the battery to check the safety of the lithium ion battery in the event of a collision.

During transportation, batteries will need to be stored in an environment of -35 degrees Celsius. In return, the number of battery storage equipment will be significantly reduced.

Dr. Thomas Grandjean from WMG campus shared that transporting damaged batteries is an expensive and unsustainable process. But if we can freeze batteries with liquid nitrogen, we could save thousands of dollars and help the electric vehicle industry become more sustainable.