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South Korea’s largest automotive components manufacturer Hyundai Mobis Company Ltd announced this week that it has developed a new technology that can automatically extinguish fires in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, helping avoid thermal runaway by preventing heat from being transferred to adjacent cells.
EV battery safety became a major issue in South Korea last year after dozens of EV fires were reported, including a major blaze in an apartment car park in the city of Incheon in August which took eight hours to extinguish and destroyed over 100 vehicles.
Hyundai Mobis’ new system works by spraying a fire extinguishing agent when a battery cell catches fire. The company said its new system is designed to go beyond simply delaying thermal runaway by using heat-resistant materials, and also prevents fires from occurring in the first place.
Hyundai Mobis pointed out that major global markets such as Europe, China and India now mandate that thermal runaway in EV batteries be delayed by at least five minutes after the initial ignition of the battery cell, while some countries are also tightening regulations requiring thermal runaway to be prevented in the first place.
Hyundai Mobis claims its new battery system assembly (BSA) with cell-level fire extinguishing capabilities meets these standards and is expected to feature in next-generation BSAs for global markets. The new BSA features a battery management system (BMS) and hardware which includes a fire extinguishing device and battery casing. Sensors collect temperature, pressure and voltage data inside the battery system, which is analyzed in real time to identify any abnormalities.
The BSA’s software is designed to make quick and accurate decisions to deal with any physical changes occurring within the battery system. Any problems are located within the BSA and the fire extinguishing agent is sprayed automatically.
The fire extinguishing agent is kept in a container which has five times the capacity of a 3.3 kg home fire extinguisher. The company points out that the extinguishing agent is a substance with excellent cooling, insulation and permeability properties, and is harmless to both the environment and the human body.
Park Yong Jun, vice president of Hyundai Mobis’ Battery System R&D Group, said in a statement: “As large electric vehicles with improved driving range appear, the safety standards for battery systems are becoming more stringent. We will integrate hardware and software to develop advanced battery systems that meet and exceed global standards, and introduce them to the global market.” Hyundai Mobis said it has also developed a new material that prevents batteries from overheating and is currently focused on bringing it to market. The material, called pulsating heat pipe, is composed of an aluminum alloy and refrigerant, which when placed between battery cells can lower the internal temperature of the battery system. The material helps manage battery heat even during rapid charging.