SPECTRUM 84

In This issue: 360° battery development

Engineering is becoming more connected. As products become more complex, successful development depends on bringing together data, simulation, testing, and expertise across disciplines. Few areas demonstrate this more clearly than battery development.

Performance, safety, cost, system integration, regulatory requirements, and lifecycle considerations all need to be considered together. This issue of SPECTRUM looks at how these connections are shaping the future of battery engineering.

AI-enabled digital twins provide new insights into battery condition, aging, and performance. Lithium-metal and anode-free cells offer the potential for higher specific energy in applications such as aviation. At the same time, they show that advances at cell level must be matched by the right module and pack concepts. Turning these innovations into reliable products requires more than digital development. They also need to be validated under real-world conditions.

Physical testing provides the evidence needed to validate battery systems under electrical, mechanical, thermal, and environmental loads. At the FEV eDLP in Brehna, our battery engineering and validation capabilities support these challenges across industries.

The articles also explore the technical and economic decisions behind battery systems. Design-to-value connects product architecture with cost, customer value, production, sustainability, and supply chain considerations. FEV BATT.code supports the development and comparison of scalable stationary energy storage concepts. Second-life applications and recycling show how battery and ecosystem design influence circularity and end-of-life economics.

AI is also becoming an important part of engineering workflows. Our Regulation Analysis Assistant uses AI to turn complex regulatory documents into traceable engineering requirements. Like our digital twins, it is part of a controlled engineering process, not a standalone solution.

Together, these contributions highlight a simple principle: progress does not come from individual technologies alone. It comes from connecting technologies, disciplines, and expertise – from concept development and validation to operation, reuse, and recycling.