Mr. Zenz, how long has BatterieIngenieure existed as a company and how did it come about?
There already was a business combination comprising the ISEA Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives of Professor Sauer of RWTH Aachen, Germany back in 2010, out of which BatterieIngenieure emerged in 2015 as an independent spin-off.
The company, which started back then with just five employees, has grown to become today one of the Germany’s leading battery test labs and development and consultancy companies in the field of electrochemical energy storage. BatterieIngenieure GMBH currently employees 53 members of staff.
What does BatterieIngenieure do exactly?
BatteryIngenieure’s service portfolio comprises three areas. The testing of various energy storage devices such as lithium-ion, lead-acid and solid-state batteries, supercapacitors, etc., technical consulting for customers on everything related to energy storage devices, and modelling and diagnostics, for example algorithms for battery management systems (BMS), hardware or simulation environments. In the area of testing, BatterieIngenieure covers testing in temperature-controlled environments as well as mechanical and electrical and safety and abuse trials.
Thanks to its high level of expertise in energy storage systems, BatterieIngenieure can cover the entire testing portfolio for battery cells, modules and packs, whereby BatterieIngenieure itself places its focus on the field of battery cells and modules. The company’s enormous wealth of specialist knowledge in this field means that BatterieIngenieure is ideally placed to offer customised testing procedures for every customer. From simple cyclic conditioning to specific testing involving several sensors such as strength, displacement, temperature, gas, etc., as well as all communication interfaces.
BatterieIngenieure provide particular added value in the execution of projects. With an application-oriented way of working as well as the evaluation and analysis of the test findings through to far-reaching consultancy services, BatterieIngenieure allows the customer in-depth insights into the behaviour of their products.
Where can the tested products be found?
The main clients are companies in the automotive, power tools and industrial machinery sectors. In all areas, the further development of battery technology is the basis for the future viability of their products. But the reach of tested battery technology goes beyond this, even to products for the home.
It is exactly this broad spectrum of products and specialist know-how that makes BatterieIngenieure the leading provider of battery testing in Germany.
In which areas are you still active?
Supercapacitors and stationary storage devices also feature in BatterieIngenieure’s service portfolio, for example. The flexible testing and inspection equipment allows for customised test solutions for this ever-expanding market to be covered too.
BatterieIngenieure is a developer as well as a tester and consultant, and is thus involved in projects that are supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the European Union.
With research into neuronal networks for the condition monitoring of batteries or into an intelligent platform for e-mobility and the interlinking of energy information, the brains at BatterieIngenieure are not only responsible for the safety of future-proof products but are also drivers of innovative solutions and new technologies at the same time.
How important are environmental tests for BatterieIngenieure?
BatterieIngenieure’s broad spectrum of services includes customised testing procedures adapted to individual customer needs as well as the standards-compliant testing of energy storage devices.
Certification standards such as UN38.3 include a thermal shock test, for example. The standard requires that endurance and performance tests must also be carried out under various climate conditions. The Weiss Technik temperature and climate chambers are a vital component for making testing under optimal conditions possible.
What are the biggest benefits of the Weiss Technik LabEvent T/500/30/3 for you?
One of the most significant benefits of the LabEvent is its small footprint (approx. 1m²) in relation to the test chamber volume of 500 litres. Also, the chamber’s 230V connection and its energy efficiency are huge plus points. The intuitive and easy operation also makes daily work easier. The simple integration into the test bench automation is yet another advantage that the engineers are happy to make use of.
The flexibility that this all offers makes the Weiss Technik LabEvent T/500/30/3 an important and established part of the testing technology.
How would you describe the business relationship from the 1st to the 50th chamber?
The first contact between Weiss Technik and BatterieIngenieure was established in 2019 at a battery trade fair. To be precise, at a Kraftwerk Batterie conference in Aachen. This serves as an excellent platform for companies, research institutes, universities, and individuals to present their work and findings in the field of battery technology to a wide specialist audience.
In the last three and a half years, the Weiss Technik company has impressed, among other things, with the speed of their delivery (high level of availability for stock models), their support in finding solutions for complex test matrices, and an economical financing model. Customer requirements are always in the foreground, even when the company itself was not in the foreground in a potential conditioning processes project.
What are your predictions for the future of battery technology and the relevance of environmental testing for it?
In the last years, ever-growing needs for testing and development have been established. This will continue to be the case in the future. Battery cell performance continues to increase. 150Ah and more has in the meantime become an established part of many traction battery systems. Because of this and due to ever more in-depth analytics, we can see a continuously increasing complexity in testing requirements. This includes tests that require five to six different temperature measurements. Further tests in the areas of swelling or abuse are also more and more in demand.
With increasing requirements, we see Weiss Technik as a strong partner for the future.
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