GREENVILLE, S.C., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Soteria Battery Innovation Group filed a patent application on a novel battery safety technology designed to reduce the probability and ferocity of e-bike battery fires. The technology offers a simple yet effective solution: a thermally insulating, fire-retardant blanket that can be easily wrapped around each individual cell within an e-bike battery pack. By slowing or preventing fire propagation from cell to cell, this technology addresses a critical safety concern in the e-bike market.
E-bike batteries are often composed of more than 50 individual cells, closely packed within a tight, sealed container. When one cell catches fire, the resulting heat can quickly ignite neighboring cells, causing fifty miniature explosions, each one shooting jets of flame and molten material outside the battery pack.
This technology borrows the geometry of spacer material used in aerospace composites called honeycomb. When formed from a flame-retardant, insulating material, and in the size and shape to cover each battery, this honeycomb barrier forms the perfect insulator that can keep each cell from heating the other cells, slowing or stopping the propagation of the fire.
As part of a years-long study on e-bike battery safety in collaboration with industry partners including NASA, Polaris, the Fire Department of New York and many others, Soteria’s technology team dismantled over 30 different e-bike batteries to gain a thorough understanding of potential safety gaps. Though insulating cells from one another is a common battery safety strategy, not one of these batteries had any insulation between the cells. “When I saw these results, I realized that for something to be widely adopted, it had to be easy to install, light weight and inexpensive,” said Brian Morin, CEO and Co-Founder of Soteria and one of the inventors of the technology.
The honeycomb structure, made from inexpensive fibers commonly used in firefighter uniforms, will add only about three ounces to the weight of the pack and cost less than $3 per e-bike battery pack once fully licensed and installed. With e-bike battery pack prices running $700 – 900 or more, this technology represents a small add-on to significantly improve safety. Installation is straightforward: once the cells are placed in their frame, the honeycomb slips neatly over the array of cells, allowing a top frame, busbars and other electrical components to be installed in their normal fashion afterwards.
“Once fully manufactured, Voltaplex will plan to use this material in all of our battery packs,” said Rebekah Weaver, Manager at Voltaplex, a subsidiary of Soteria that specializes in providing customized battery packs. In line with Soteria’s commitment to improving safety across the industry, the company will allow the material to be purchased and licensed by others so that it’s use may be widespread. Manufacturers of e-bike batteries or similar batteries, such as power tools, robotics, medical devices and other applications using 18650 and 2170 cylindrical cells, will be able to benefit from this advancement.
Soteria will be cooperating with supply-chain partners to make the material broadly available to licensees, including DuPont, Kaneka, and Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.). For licensing information or to obtain samples, please contact Abby Zielsdorf, Business Development Coordinator at [email protected].
About Soteria Battery Innovation Group, Inc.
Soteria is a lithium-ion battery safety company which has technology to eliminate battery fires and also runs a consortium to promote best practices for lithium-ion battery safety. Soteria’s mission is to have inherently safe batteries everywhere, which Soteria believes will take a wholistic approach to safety, combining complementary safety technologies from many companies and strategies. Soteria’s consortium of over 120 members including NASA, Mercedes, DuPont, Motorola, Lenovo and many more. Soteria was founded in 2017 by Dr. Brian Morin and is headquartered in Greenville, SC. For more information, please visit www.SoteriaBIG.com.
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