Using Multiphysics to Predict and Prevent EV Battery Fire E 12 9 Test 8.1 Simulation (RADIOSS) 7.2 6.3 5.4 Force [kN] lectric vehicles (EVs) offer the possibility to address the world's transportation demands in a more environmentally sustainable fashion. Mass adoption can help to reduce reliance on fossil fuels but the lithium-ion (Li-ion) chemistries that represent current state-of-the-art battery technology still present unique challenges to designers and engineers - a chief development priority being to limit the potential for battery fire. To achieve vehicle manufacturers' ambitious EV adoption goals, it is necessary to bolster and improve the safety of Li-ion batteries by better understanding all of the complex, interconnected aspects of their behavior across both normal and extreme duty cycles. Altair is focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of automotive battery safety issues that it has named the Altair Battery Designer project. It combines innovative design methods and tools to model and predict mechanical damage phenomena as well as thermal and electro-chemical runaway. Altair has developed an efficient way to calculate mechanical and short-term thermal response to 4.5 3.6 2.7 1.8 0.9 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 Displacement [mm] 6 7 8 Figure 1. Simulation vs test results of a battery cell hemispherical indentation. Battery Technology, August 2020