Our Next Energy, Inc.

A battery pack for an electric vehicle configured to transfer a tensile load, such as from a seat restraint system, through the battery pack to underlying vehicle structure includes a battery tray, a plurality of prismatic electrochemical cells arranged in major face-to-major face relationship, and at least one flanged beam having a web located between adjacent cells and at least one flange at an upper end of the web on which a battery pack lid is secured.

A battery system for allowing discharge of batteries in parallel and charging in series, while eliminating or reducing the risks and damage associated with short circuits, includes first and second batteries, parallel contactors electrically connecting the batteries in parallel to a high voltage bus when they are closed, a mid-contactor electrically connecting the batteries in series when the mid-contactor is closed, and a logic circuit for preventing closure of the mid-contactor when any of the parallel contactors is closed.

A battery system for an electric vehicle includes a high voltage battery, contactors connecting terminals of the high voltage battery to high voltage buses, a vehicle ON/OFF switch, a low voltage battery, a battery management system (BMS) controlling the contactors, wherein the BMS is powered by the low voltage battery when the vehicle is switched OFF, a backup power supply (BPS) for powering the BMS when the vehicle is switched ON, a controller regulating power from the BPS to the BMS, a second switch for disconnecting the BPS from the BMS, and a service tool interface configured to interact with a service tool to operate the second switch.

A busbar bridge for electrically connecting a busbar to a terminal is formed from a single electrically conductive metal sheet to define a six-sided cage entrapping a nut to prevent rotation when torque is applied to the nut.

Methods and systems for providing controlling in a repeatable manner a plurality of anode-free or lithium metal cells in a power-supply system. The cells are connected in series in one or more high energy density hybrid modules connected in parallel. Each high energy density hybrid module includes a corresponding hybrid module controller (HMC) and has a corresponding bi-directional DC-DC-converter, and each cell of the plurality of cells is independently measurable by the HMC. The corresponding bi-directional DC-DC-converter is used to charge and discharge of the plurality of cells in a repeatable manner to be within a selected state of charge (SOC) range that corresponds to a defined cycle life and energy density requirement.

Producing an electrode by providing a solvent-free powder that includes an electrode active material and a binder, determining a temperature to be produced at a location of application of a laser beam, selecting a scan frequency at which to control oscillation of the laser beam, producing the electrode by feeding, via a powder feeder, the solvent-free powder onto a current collector and concurrently applying the laser beam to the solvent-free powder to melt the binder of the solvent-free powder at the temperature to produce a coating on the current collector.

A cell includes a cell housing, at least one end cap, at least three terminals, the at least three terminals including at least one positive terminal and at least one negative terminal. The cell further includes a coupling device for each of the at least three terminals, the coupling device including a busbar and a thermal interface material, the busbar being in contact with and disposed between the terminal and the thermal interface material, the busbar and the thermal interface material thermally coupling the terminal to a top or bottom cold plate. The thermal interface material further electrically insulates the top or bottom cold plate from the terminal.

A battery energy storage system including a housing, a top flange disposed at a top portion of the battery energy storage system, a bottom flange including a plenum, disposed at a bottom portion of the battery energy storage system, a middle web disposed between the top flange and the bottom flange, the middle web is defined by several modules arranged vertically in the housing, each of the modules including a module housing and a collection of cells. The top flange, the bottom flange, and the middle web define an I-beam structure of the battery energy storage system. A vent gas management system and a skip-module connection strategy are also disclosed.

A power supply system that utilizes a hybrid architecture to enable low cycle-life, high energy density chemistries to be used in rechargeable batteries to extend the range of a traction battery.

A power supply system including a controller, a high-voltage battery, a low-voltage electric storage device operatively coupled to the high-voltage battery through a positive and a negative contactor, and a self-recovery module that bypasses the positive and negative contactors and is directly and electrically connected to the high-voltage battery. The self-recovery module includes a step-down converter and a charging circuit. The controller is configured to sense a voltage of the low-voltage electric storage device and charge the low-voltage electric storage device via the charging circuit responsive to sensing the voltage to be below a predetermined threshold.