Accelerated Calendar Life Prediction for Li-ion Cells

79001S Currently, no reliable method exists to rapidly determine the potential calendar life of a Li-ion cell. This is a major barrier to the introduction of such advanced battery systems into commercial applications such as hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which require a battery life approaching 15 years. This problem must be solved before automakers begin adopting these technologies, which have the potential of dramatically improving the performance and lowering HEV cost. This project will develop a novel methodology for the rapid testing, modeling, and prediction of the life of a Li-ion cell. Phase I will demonstrate the basic approach for constructing and verifying the proposed methodology and model, and will perform proof-of-concept demonstrations. In Phase II, the full model will be developed, which would be applied to any Li-ion battery system. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The battery life prediction methodology should help enable and accelerate the rapid growth of the HEV market for U.S. automakers, giving them a chance to recapture the advantage against the current Japanese leaders. The widespread introduction of HEVs would also have many environmental benefits to the U.S.