The basic car battery hasn’t really changed much in the past 30 years. U-M engineers are working to make them smarter, safer and more efficient.
Innovations in energy efficiency is critical as automakers focus on reducing the environmental impacts of vehicles. University of Michigan research is helping the auto industry along this path by developing intelligent batteries. Researchers have developed special temperature sensors and simulation models that allow them to observe how batteries function in real world scenarios, like New York traffic. These observations validate actions that can be taken to prolong the life of the battery.
About the Professor: Jason Siegel (https://me-web2.engin.umich.edu/pub/directory/bio?uniqname=siegeljb) is a Research Fellow of Mechanical Engineering (https://me.engin.umich.edu/) at the University of Michigan College of Engineering (https://www.engin.umich.edu/). His research interests include fuel cell control systems and Lithium Ion batteries. He uses neutron imaging to better understand how Lithium is distributed throughout the electrode in high power applications.
He also does restoration work on antique cars and is building (converting) an electric motorcycle.
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Post time: Jun-19-2017