GM has filed a patent application for a new battery design with a built-in passive fire suppression system. The new General Motors patent application has been assigned patent application number US 2023/0395849 A1 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and was published on December 7th, 2023. The patent application was originally filed on June 6th, 2022, and lists the inventors as Michigan-based engineers Thomas J. Chapaton and Ratandeep Singh Kukreja, as well as Canada-based engineer William Pieczonka.
The patent application describes a battery design that incorporates a battery housing, as well as a battery cell stack that is placed within the housing. The housing includes a fire suppression material, while the battery cell stack includes plurality of battery cells with a non-aqueous electrolyte. The patent states that when the fire suppression material in the housing is exposed to the non-aqueous electrolyte, the fire suppression material is then configured to retain the non-aqueous electrolyte within the interior of the battery housing. This design is configured to either prevent or inhibit thermal runaway propagation between adjacent battery cells in a battery cell stack that is placed within the battery housing.
“When a battery cell is subjected to certain abusive operating or charging conditions, or if a battery cell is manufactured with certain defects, the battery cells may generate a greater amount of heat than can be effectively removed from the battery cell by the cooling system, which may cause the battery cell to enter a condition referred to as thermal runaway,” the patent states.
Indeed, battery fires are of increasing concern as the broader automotive industry (GM included) makes the transition to all-electric powertrains. Late last year, the General Motors Factory Zero plant in Detroit experienced a three-alarm fire that caused $1.3 million in damage, destroying EV batteries and other goods and equipment, as well as damaging the building itself. The fire allegedly began after a forklift punctured a pallet of batteries, causing them to ignite.
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Comments
A great idea, but just another added cost to already expensive EV’s.
That’s exactly what the consumer wants: an even heavier and more expensive EV
Shades of when Ford’s answer to Crown Vic fires was built-in extinguishers…
Why not patent a battery which isn’t prone to runaway and fires in the first place?
I remember that as we had to take our Crown Vics to Ford Dealer for some kind of mod. I was thinking it was some kind metal shield, but also thought if almost any cars gets hit on shoulder of highway, the involved speeds would almost insure fuel tank damage. I do know a fuel cutoff switch started getting installed (don’t remember model years), that would stop the fuel from still being pumped in a rear end crash.
I predict that as time goes on a lot of people will regret ever buying an electric vehicle
At least until the charge time is comparable to filling an ICE fuel tank.
Sadly, EV manufacturers refused to adopt any universal battery size standard. Which would have allowed the use of the already invented technology for quick, automated robotic replacement of depleted batteries at a drive thru station.
Unfortunately, MOST EV battery fires that burn out of control for hours / days are due to collisions and battery damage, And this type of (probably expensive) battery housing fire containment system once damaged, will simply leak the suppression chemicals and lose it’s containment ability.
Looks like a LOT of money to deal with the least common types of battery fires in EVs.
Just how often do you read about any EV battery fire that happened due to any charging process instead of a collision?
I want to know if the fire at Factory Zero was caused by a forklift operator or an autonomous forklift.
EV fires are 1/10 as common as ICE vehicle fires. The issue is the difficulty of extinguishing an EV fire when one does start. A little extra weight in the battery pack is worth protecting one’s EV, and the structure in which it is parked.
Let’s hope this proposed solution is effective.
This neat fire suppression system will probably be a $10,000 option.
Back in 2011 I wanted to buy a new EV. I bought a new Camaro instead. In 2015 I wanted to buy a new EV. I bought a Jeep instead. In 2023 I wanted to buy a new EV. I spent hours at the dealerships comparing Electric Vehicles and almost, almost I say, bought a Hyundai Ionic 5. I ended up with a CPO GMC. My philosophy is wait till they get it right. They are getting better as well as the hybrids. But I will give them a few more years or until Toyota comes out with one without all the bugs. Just like computers back in the 1990’s, a better one comes out every year. They are getting closer and if all I had to do was drive around town, I would own one already. But for cross country trips, not yet.