iModBatt stands for Industrial Modular Battery Pack Concept Addressing High Energy Density, Environmental Friendliness, Flexibility and Cost Efficiency for Automotive Applications. The aim of iModBatt is to design and manufacture, with minimum environmental impact, a high energy density modular battery pack flexible enough to be used in automotive and small stationary applications. This battery pack will be suitable for industrial automated assembly with an easy disassembly design, to make possible the shift from primary applications to secondary ones, and to facilitate the pack recyclability or parts replacement if necessary. The project concept is built around an already existing technologically breakthrough, modular battery pack design primarily developed for specialty applications, that has proven excellent performance and cost efficiency in such a manner that higher ambition, wider spread electric vehicle applications seem the natural next developmental step for such a concept. The project focuses into maximization of the energy density of a lithium ion pack through the optimization of the structural design and components of a battery pack for a given cell form factor. In this sense the strategy is to increase the energy density by reducing the weight of the battery pack while keeping structural integrity and easy assembly and manufacturing. Chemistry and BMS work is beyond the scope of the project, which focuses in the structural design and manufacturing. The Consortium includes industrial partners of every step of the battery pack value chain, including automotive OEMs, battery parts manufacturers as well as leading European research centres with ample experience in the field of batteries.

The envisaged European CO2 fleet emission limits for 2025-2030 already require a massive market introduction of EVs. However, there are still some obstacles for user acceptance of EVs: high cost, slow charging, limited range, perceived lack of added value and concerns of limited mobility. In this context, i-HeCoBatt stands for Intelligent Heating and Cooling solution for enhanced range EV Battery packs. The aim of i-HeCoBatt is to achieve a smart, cost bursting industrial battery heat exchanger to minimize the impact on full electric vehicle range in extreme conditions. The proposed solution will remove the currently used expensive and heavy gap filler between the heat exchanger and the battery pack and will replace the aluminium interface plate in contact with the battery pack with a thin polymer layer. This design enhances the efficiency of the heating and cooling system that will be supported by a heating actuator in direct contact to the battery pack. Customized printed sensors will be embedded to the heat exchanger and will feed the battery management control unit as well as an external early diagnostic and safety system connected to the cloud. Different interfaces will be created to access these data according to user profiles: designers, testers, maintenance teams or driver. Finally, the industrialization of the patented innovative heat exchanger concept will contribute to the cost reduction of the heating and cooling system and the EV. The Consortium gathers know-how from a multidisciplinary group of research centres, SME and industrial partners, including an automotive OEM, with expertise in battery pack and thermal systems design, testing and manufacturing for automotive applications. Partners behind the intelligent heat exchanger concept are European TIERs that intend to position with an unbeatable environmental compliant product that will be introduced in OEMs value chain in a maximum period of 2 years after the closure of the project.