Electric cars are the future an important part of the automotive market, the German government and the automotive industry which holds the same view. 2020, Germany will achieve one million electric vehicle on the road. Germany's ADAC motoring organizations in the survey, if not consider the cost, comfort and safety, 74% of respondents expressed their willingness to buy electric cars, about 1 / 3 of the drivers want to charge the battery electric vehicle can run at least once 500 km.

    But the key question is: At present, the number of charging stations and battery life is very limited, resulting in a compact electric car can not become mainstream. Currently, most vehicles use lithium-ion batteries are too heavy, expensive and electricity, too fast. Therefore, the new battery materials need to improve performance, service life, and have the security of energy storage devices, but development of these new materials requires a lot of money and time.

    Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, electric vehicle system (FSEM) project, from Kaiserslautern, Germany, Fraunhofer Institute of Technical and Economic Mathematics (ITWM) researchers are currently developing a lithium battery simulation software, the software will accelerate the process of developing new materials, batteries and improve battery efficiency. The software is called "BEST", is the battery and electrochemical simulation tool (BatteryandElectrochemistrySimulationTool) for short.

    Lithium batteries from the two porous electrode plates, with the electrolyte separator plate separating the two electrodes, when the battery charge and discharge, lithium ions will flow between the electrodes. Fraunhofer Institute of Technical and Economic Mathematics JochenZausch explained that the cell performance depends on the component materials used, and coordination is needed between these materials. The software simulation tool can follow the designer's idea of ​​the different material combinations, until the ideal combination to achieve, as in the past without the need to repeatedly test.

    The Institute's researchers at the macro and micro levels of the structure of the entire battery, lithium ions to simulate flow and reaction. JochenZausch that they can show the microstructure of electrode plates, each a 10-micron holes are clearly visible, which is the reach of other technologies, and the position and shape of electrodes can also be changed. By solving three-dimensional electrode structure, a number of battery parameters such as lithium ion concentration and current density can be calculated, the Institute is currently calculating these parameters. Current distribution is an important indicator of the battery energy, so the software can also pinpoint cause the battery to overheat and burn hot. In addition, the software can effectively assess the aging effects of the battery, because the battery temperature will affect their life, the scientists also plan to upgrade the software program, will join the aging model to study carried out smoothly.

    JochenZausch also mentioned that the software will eventually help automotive manufacturers and storage equipment manufacturers produce more powerful, more secure, for a wider range of cells, thereby improving the car's acceleration.