Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2024-01-09 Origin: Site
Eight years ago, Molex made a bold decision: Investing a lot of equipment, money and people to develop its battery connection system to support a market that few people were sure would come true. On the market, there are various predictions about the direction of the electric vehicle market. Some believe electric vehicles are a novelty, others believe the market will slowly shift away from internal combustion vehicles and toward hybrids. Meanwhile, concerns about charging infrastructure have further added to doubts about the future of electric vehicles (EVs).
According to a recent study, while electric vehicles will only account for 14% of global passenger car sales in 2022, they are expected to reach 58% by 2040. The shift is accelerating; the IEA expects that by 2023, 18% of new passenger car sales will be electric. Molex's gamble on the rise of electric vehicles appears to be paying off.
BMW Group selects Molex’s Volfinity battery connection system for its next generation of electric vehicles
Molex leverages its in-house and partner design and production expertise to develop its deep battery portfolio by working directly with plug-in hybrid and conventional EV manufacturers, energy storage OEMs, and cell and battery pack suppliers. Connect the system. According to feedback from Molex, these battery connection systems are two to three years ahead of competitors in the same industry.
In June 2023, the BMW Group selected Molex Volfinity Cell Contact System (CCS) for its next-generation electric vehicle category, in line with Molex’s ambitious market forecasts.
Volfinity CCS Overview
Molex began developing Volfinity in 2018. This reliable and easy-to-implement interface solution connects the battery to the control board in the electric vehicle battery module without the need for daisy-chaining wires. The total solution supports integrated battery sensing capabilities, battery monitoring and balancing, and temperature measurement capabilities, all designed to meet the functional safety requirements of automotive OEMs.
Molex offers a range of different features to create custom solutions, with the core being the battery connection system. This battery connection system could be a combination of molded plastics that house aluminum busbars that are hard-connected to the battery pack, flex circuits, and high-voltage connectors that take power from the battery pack and distribute it to systems throughout the car. , and integrated signal interconnect.
This battery connection system can also include a thermistor or thermal sensor and top cover, which can provide a degree of thermal runaway prevention. If a battery cell overheats, it is contained within a cell and prevented from spreading. It is also possible to integrate fuses into the battery connection system.
Customization to specific OEM requirements is key to the overall solution.
This involves a lot of intensive design iterations, as well as design cost tradeoffs. Instead of customers just providing drawings, Molex just produces them according to the drawings.
This kind of custom design is very important to OEMs as they want to maintain a competitive advantage as much as possible. There are some standardized products for battery cells, with three main types: cylindrical, prismatic and pouch cells.
At least currently, the industry does not appear to be seeing any significant level of standardization in the areas where Molex provides solutions, namely the connection points from the battery to the rest of the vehicle.
Volfinity battery connection systems provide reliable interface solutions for connecting batteries to electric vehicle battery module control boards.
Address scope and capability issues
When it comes to electric vehicle adoption, a pressing issue is range (i.e. how far a vehicle can travel on a single charge). Range is affected by weight, and battery systems in all-electric vehicles are large and heavy. For example, the Gen 6 Volfinity CCS is approximately three feet wide and six feet long.
A daisy chain wiring solution, essentially a string of individual wires connected to each battery, has a big impact on weight. In addition, every connection point creates a potential risk of failure. Volfinity uses lighter and safer flex circuits.
Flexible circuit board
Another issue with electric vehicle adoption is affordability. While Volfinity doesn’t have a direct impact on vehicle costs, it does improve battery efficiency and help extend its lifespan. An electric car may have hundreds of batteries, but they all draw different amounts of power, which can shorten the life of the system. Volfinity helps balance the battery pack, thereby extending its overall life.
As the global electric vehicle market continues to grow, Molex plans to manufacture Volfinity solutions in Asia, Europe and North America.
