Implantation, Activation, Characterization and Prevention/Mitigation of Internal Short Circuits in Lithium-Ion Cells

For Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) and Plug-In HEVs (PHEVs) based on lithium-ion batteries to become commercially viable, occurrences of rare but violent spontaneous field failures of the lithium-ion cells must be eliminated. This project will develop technology to reliably and reproducibly detect and mitigate the internal short circuits that are believed to be responsible for field failure incidents in lithium-ion cells. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: By speeding the introduction of HEVs and PHEVs, the technology would have substantial positive impact on national energy efficiency and energy independence. In addition to the HEV and PHEV applications, safer lithium-ion batteries should be of benefit to existing portable power applications (e.g. laptops, cell phones, power tools).