Automobile Division
Q: Could you briefly explain your role, involvement and experience with regards to this conference?
Stuart Nixon (SN): I have worked as part of the services delivery team at, what was HKS UK, then Abaqus and now, SIMULIA (the Dassault Systèmes brand for realistic simulation) for 19 years. I have focused on services delivery, providing customisations and subroutines to customers to enhance their use of our simulation technology; working on everything from pipelines resting on the seabed to kettle heating elements.
Q: What are the main engineering challenges facing the industry at the moment and what are the most common issues you hear from colleagues?
SN: Working for a software company exposes us to many industrial requirements. It is important that we provide technology to meet such challenges, electrification of vehicles is one such sector. Here the common issues are understanding and then linking together the multiple physics involved, electro-chemistry, thermal, fluids and structural. A wide portfolio of tools is required to deliver an end to end solution that supports and accelerates the adoption of electric technologies.
Q: What key topics are you excited to speak about?
SN: I’m interested in speaking about all aspects of multi physics involved in battery simulations.
Q: Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme, and why?
SN: I’m looking forward to hearing from all those working practically within the industry, especially those at Jaguar Land Rover bearing in mind the recent announcement about production in the UK.
Q: What is your top tip for engineers working in similar roles to your own?
SN: Question things, to derive both an understanding and verification of the results from any mathematical simulation. Traditionally, everyone believes the experimental results apart from the person that performed it, but nobody believes the simulation results except the person that performed it. Therefore, it is important to develop a thorough understanding of the process and results, to enable sound engineering justification.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this seminar?
SN: Attending conferences, either as a speaker or just in the audience, widens an engineer’s knowledge, exposing them to new aspects of technology that they may not have come across in the past. It is important that engineering continues to move forward and that can be accomplished by sharing knowledge and ideas at such events. EV is a field where the technology is developing rapidly and simulation tools are capable of supporting that development, thus it is more important to stay abreast of all developments.
Q: What developments are you most interested in for the future and why?
SN: Any technology that supports a greener environment is of interest, I’m especially interested to see if there are any presentations on the recycling of old batteries.
International EV Batteries 2019 will be taking place on 5-6 November at the Kia Oval in London.
Join this conference to:
- Hear over 16 hours of content on electric vehicle battery development from pioneering users of battery technology including Jaguar Land Rover, Renault, Aston Martin and Ford Motor Company
- Network with battery research, design and systems engineers as well as battery management systems experts
- Invest in cost-effective battery technology by gaining insight into the latest cell, module and pack designs
- Gain insight into the latest technologies in thermal management to mitigate the risk of thermal runaway
- Receive an update on the status of battery manufacturing in the UK and the supply chain across the world.
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/evbatteries.