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Battery cells: don’t let a stretched supply chain harm your devices

Neil Oliver, technical marketing manager at professional battery manufacture Accutronics

As demand for electric vehicles grow and car manufacturers increase production in line with the need, it puts a significant strain on the battery cell supply chain which impacts other markets requiring portable power. Neil Oliver explains how design engineers get the right battery for their device, in the best possible time and without compromising on quality

Most of us are familiar with the butterfly effect; the idea that one action, even a minor one, could have a non-linear impact that can cause disruption elsewhere in a system. 

While it is just a chaos theory concept, it does allow us to understand how the electric vehicle (EV) market is posing a threat to everything from medical technology to security systems.

The EV market is growing, with no signs of stalling. Although EVs represent only a tiny minority of vehicles worldwide, only accounting for approximately 1% of US cars for instance, the number is consistently increasing. In fact, sales in the US alone increased by 81% in 2018.

Elsewhere, EVs are experiencing similar adoption growth. One in every twelve cars purchased in the UK is an EV, while the European Environment Agency’s website notes that, “the number of new electric car registrations in the EU has been increasing steadily over the last few years”.

The Norwegian Road Federation even noted on its website that almost one-third of all car sales in Norway in 2018 were of EVs.

These figures signify good news for the planet but are less positive for device design engineers in other industries.

Inside every EV is a rechargeable lithium battery responsible for storing energy. Almost everybody knows this, but few people realise that the battery ‘cells’ used in these batteries, are basically the same ones used in lithium batteries for smart phones and portable power tools.

Battery cells, in their finished form can be described as ‘buckets of chemical energy’.

While all cells at their most simple form are created from an anode, cathode and electrolyte, the supply chain that supports their creation is both broad and deep, starting with metal ore mining and ending in cell assembly following complex and time-consuming chemical and mechanical processing.

And, as demand for EVs grows and car manufacturers increase production in line with the need, it puts a significant strain on the battery cell supply chain which impacts other markets requiring portable power.

An EV battery requires many more lithium cells than a portable device battery. For example, the battery packs in Tesla’s Model S and Model X cars contain between 7,100 and 8,300 cells, depending on the energy rating of the battery.

By comparison, a smart phone is powered by a single cell while a portable power tool might use eight cells.

The EV market is therefore very attractive to cell manufacturers chasing the high volume factory filling opportunities which drive production efficiency and increase the top-line.

The downside for other, smaller volume customers is that their requirements can be moved down the priority order making it more difficult for them to obtain cells and vital technical support – especially for projects in medical and industrial markets

Fortunately, all is not lost for these device manufacturers. As a battery integrator for companies across Europe, Accutronics has extensive experience in dealing with many cell manufacturers. This experience has built strong working relationships, which allows us to help expedite the process.

Similarly, Accutronics’ parent company, Ultralife Corporation, a leading manufacturer of primary Lithium cells, has built an extensive network of trusted suppliers around the world – with equally strong relationships.

With this support, Accutronics can help design engineers get the right battery for their device, in the best possible time and without compromising on quality

The strain put on the battery cell market by the rise of EVs is an unintended consequence of technological advancement, but it shouldn’t get in the way of a design engineer advancing a project.

By working with an experienced battery manufacturer, design engineers can steer clear of project chaos.

Neil Oliver is technical marketing manager at professional battery manufacturer Accutronics.

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