Institution news
Ahead of speaking at International EV Batteries 2017, we caught up with Jonathan Hunt, Technical Specialist, Energy Storage Systems at Williams Advanced Engineering. Jonathan explained his role and involvement in the development of EV/HEV battery technologies, the critical challenges, five to 10 year vision and what he is looking forward to at the event.
Q: Could you briefly explain your role and involvement in EV/HEV battery technologies?
Jonathan Hunt (JH): I specialise in the development and manufacture of EV batteries and battery management systems at Williams. Our focus is primarily on performance applications but we are looking to exploit our advanced battery concepts to benefit other markets and sectors.
Q: What is the number one challenge holding back the widespread use of EVs in today’s current market?
JH: The cost of the batteries. To date this still does not compete with conventional ICE vehicles unless sponsored by government initiatives or tax incentives. The cost is falling both at the cell level as well as at module and pack level but we still need a step change to be truly competitive and to eventually break into mass volume markets.
Q: What is the most exciting development in this field at the moment, either within your company or in the industry in general?
JH: Within Williams we are developing the next generation of higher power and lighter weight battery technologies with advanced cooling and integration concepts that will give the vehicles a step up in performance, range and life. Outside of Williams I am particularly interested in seeing the progress of the next generation of lithium cell technologies, such as solid-State cells, to understand how they can perform, how we will exploit them in our pack designs and whether they will give us the step change in cost needed.
Q: Where do you see the future of the use of electric vehicle technologies going over the next 5–10 years?
JH: For the next five years, I see the constant improvements from existing lithium Ion cell technologies to improve range and cost that will give further market penetration for EV and PHEV passenger cars, commercial vehicles for cities and niche performance cars. For 10 years, I hope that the advancement in alternative cell technologies coupled with the advancement in our battery concepts will bring a step change to allow significant volumes across all sectors.
Q: What are you most looking forward to by attending and presenting at International EV Batteries 2017?
JH: So much is changing and being developed now that it is difficult to keep up to date with all latest innovations. Events like this give access to the industry and promote communication and cooperation.
Find out more
Jonathan will be speaking at International EV Batteries 2017 on 21–22 November in London. Join him and other experts from Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), MITSUBISHI MOTOR R&D Europe, AUDI AG, Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan Motors Manufacturing UK and more.
Key programme highlights:
- Find out how the UK is leading the race to zero emissions from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV)
- Learn about high voltage components in the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV from MITSUBISHI MOTOR R&D Europe
- Address the technical and legal aspects of high voltage battery safety from AUDI AG
- Gain a high level look at battery requirements for automotive applications from Jaguar Land Rover
- Discuss mass production of lithium ion batteries for automotive and non-automotive applications with Nissan Motors Manufacturing UK.
For further information, visit the International EV Batteries 2017 event page.