Honeywell has joined hands with Nexceris, developer of Li-ion Tamer® lithium-ion gas detection solutions, to help make electric vehicles (EVs) safer.
Honeywell and Nexceris will offer advanced automotive sensing technology to help prevent conditions leading to thermal runaway in EV batteries, a phenomenon that causes extremely high temperatures within the battery cell and can result in a fire.
Global sales of EVs doubled in 2021 from the previous year to nearly 7 million, and India’s electric vehicle market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 90% in this decade to touch $150 billion by 2030. Many of these vehicles today use lithium-ion batteries as an energy source, which can pose safety risks that can impact EV owners.
To help mitigate these risks, automobile manufacturers are looking to incorporate technology to provide enhanced safety.
Honeywell offers a wide range of lithium-ion battery safety and performance solutions, including sensors used in battery management systems to monitor the health of EV batteries, gas detection solutions used throughout the manufacturing process and electrical safety personal protective equipment, providing protection to workers and allowing them to operate safely in hazardous conditions.
Rajesh Rege, president, Honeywell India, mentioned, “As more people switch to electric vehicles, automakers need to supply lithium-ion batteries that are reliable, safe and secure at every point of their lifespan. EV sales are likely to increase exponentially ‘in the coming months and years’ due to the demand incentives provided under FAME II, the launch of state policies, rising fuel prices, tightening emissions laws and increasing awareness of the green environment. Honeywell is assisting this transition to more EVs on the road by providing ready-now solutions to help reduce safety concerns. Honeywell’s collaboration with Nexceris to develop an enhanced suite of battery monitoring sensors will help automotive manufacturers strengthen their battery health monitoring systems with the ability to detect thermal runaway conditions even earlier,” he added.
The companies will collaborate with leading global vehicle manufacturers to deliver advanced gas detection solutions in EV battery packs to allow for early intervention, helping avoid costly property damage and safety issues.
“Our work with Honeywell will help us empower the global transition to electric vehicles through enhanced battery monitoring,” said Kyle Shen, president and CEO, Nexceris. “Fires from lithium-ion batteries are dangerous and often difficult to contain after they start. By combining our shared expertise in battery sensing and gas detection technology with Honeywell’s extensive manufacturing capabilities, we will be working toward offering our vehicle manufacturing customers a more advanced safety solution and meeting the growing demand for lithium-ion batteries.”
In 2020, Honeywell and Nexceris formed its strategic alliance to address lithium-ion battery system safety for energy storage applications, combining Honeywell’s very early warning smoke detection and Li-ion Tamer’s leading off-gas detection technology for a safe, redundant way to protect facilities of any scale.