Christoph Deutskens

Process alternatives in the battery production

The future demand for Lithium-Ion-Cells is definitely going to increase. The main part accelerating the development is the cell production for electric cars. In order to gain more market share it is necessary to build up high-quality machines and connect them to an efficient process. Problematic for this target is the diverse process chain. An international survey showed that most companies are focused on just one specific operation; they cannot handle all steps with their own solutions. This paper presents a way to solve the problem by identifying, characterizing and assessing product alternatives along the whole process chain. In addition to that interdependences were detected and technology chains got written down in a last step.

Return on engineering: Design to cost for electric engine production

Producing companies for electric traction engines used in electric cars are faced with new challenges as production volumes and market demands change frequently. Missing standards in the product and production development process itself increase the expenses for development and production of an electric engine. As 70% of the product costs are determined by the product development and still generated solutions do not meet the required project cost targets, the focus of electric engine companies needs to be shifted to the product and process development. Therefore, the Return on Engineering approach pursues the maxim of forcing the cost target particularly in the early stages of development. This paper presents an approach to structure the product and process development process by modularizing the production process following the product architecture of an electrical engine. Thereby, the producing companies have the opportunity to decrease product costs and shorten their development process. The approach is being clarified with the aid of an exemplary development process of an electric engine for small city-cars. Especially technology chains for component production as well as final assembly are considered.

Selection of transformable production technologies as a reaction on a varying demand of electric traction motors

Manufacturers of electric vehicles face the difficult challenge to adjust proper production systems, facilities and technologies. The market is developing (regulations, policies and new competitors) and todays small volumes could increase fast, so that todays production systems might no longer be reasonable. This paper illustrates the necessity of transformable production technologies regarding a varying and increasing demand of electric drivetrains and explains how to deal with these developments. The paper shows and categorizes the external and internal influences regarding the selection of the right technology for this trendsetting industry. The requirements and important aspects to select an optimal production technology for electric traction motors will be exposed. An efficient selection process supports the manufacturer to choose the best individual technology in a developing market environment. The selection method is applied to the production step of winding and compares different winding technologies.

Standardization and innovation: Dissolving the contradiction with modular production architectures

Industry is faced with increasing product variety, technical complexity and shortened product life cycles today. In spite of these increasing challenges consumers are not willing to pay for risen efforts. Industry relies on effective and efficient management and coordination of the departments involved across company and supply chain during all phases of product and process development. Modular Production Architectures (MPA) are a useful management-tool for the upcoming difficulties during product and process development. Especially, MPA can contribute to dissolve the contradiction between standardization and innovation. In this paper current standardization approaches are presented, i.e. general modular product architectures and process construction kits. MPA are then derived from the existing models as a standardization approach for the product-process-link. The methodology is described using a three step approach. Firstly, the product type range and the production steps have to be determined. Subsequently, the best-practice is to be identified by comparing different alternatives or benchmarking across competitors. In the last step the product design boundary parameters have to be implemented in the whole process chain. The paper is terminated by a validation of the presented approach in automotive industry.

Fertigungsverfahren von Lithium-Ionen-Zellen und -Batterien

Lithium-Ionen-Batterien fur die elektromobile Anwendung setzen sich aus Batteriemodulen, die aus einer Vielzahl einzelner Batteriezellen bestehen, zusammen (Abb. 18.1). Der jeweilige Verwendungszweck bestimmt die Zahl der Batteriemodule, die gemeinsam mit einem Batterie-Management-System, einem Kuhlsystem, dem Thermomanagement und der Leistungselektronik in einer Lithium-Ionen-Batterie installiert sind. In Batteriemodulen konnen verschiedene Zelltypen, wie die Rundzelle, die prismatische Hardcase-Zelle oder die Flachzelle (Coffeebag- oder Pouch-Zelle) verbaut sein (vgl. Kap. 9).

Production Structures for Future Electric Vehicle Components

The successful market launch of electric cars will require new vehicle concepts and value networks. Therefore, an integrated product and process development is essential. In the StreetScooter project of RWTH Aachen University, an extensive competence profile is created by integrating various automotive suppliers into a value network.

Produktionsstrukturen Für Komponenten Künftiger Elektrofahrzeuge

Fur die breite Markteinfuhrung von Elektromobilen sind neue Fahrzeugkonzepte und Produktionsstrukturen erforderlich. Diese konnen nur durch eine integrierte Produkt- und Prozessentwicklung entstehen. Im StreetScooter-Projekt der RWTH Aachen wird ein entsprechendes Kompetenzprofil durch ein breites Unternehmensnetzwerk aufgebaut.

Cost potentials in the assembly of modularized electric vehicles

Whether and how quickly electric vehicles become established as a serious alternative to conventional vehicles depends above all on their overall production costs. According to RWTH Aachen University, a radical rethink in the design of electric vehicles is required in order to compensate for the cost disadvantages of the electric powertrain. In the “StreetScooter” project initiated by the university, the complete vehicle has been designed for optimum producibility right from the start.

Kostenpotenziale modular aufgebauter Elektrofahrzeuge

Ob und wie schnell sich das Elektrofahrzeug als ernstzunehmende Alternative durchsetzt, hangt vor allem von den Gesamtproduktionskosten ab. Damit die Kostennachteile beim Antrieb aufgefangen werden konnen, ist nach Ansicht der RWTH Aachen ein radikales Umdenken bei der Konstruktion notwendig. Das gesamte Design des von der Hochschule initiierten Projektes „StreetScooter“ ist von Anfang an auf optimale Produzierbarkeit ausgelegt

Lithium-ion cell and battery production processes

Lithium-ion batteries for electric mobility applications consist of battery modules made up of many individual battery cells (Fig. 17.1). The number of battery modules depends on the application. The modules are installed in a lithium-ion battery together with a battery management system, a cooling system, temperature management, and power electronics. Different cell types can be used in battery modules; they include round cells, prismatic hardcase cells, or flat cells such as coffee bag cells or pouch cells (more detailed information available in Chapter 9).