60 Second Spotlight on Nigel Taylor, BatteryDesign.net
Ahead of the Innovations in Battery Design and Testing Seminar at Warwick Manufacturing Group on 18 July we caught up with Nigel Taylor to hear his thoughts on the topic.
Please briefly explain your current role and involvement in battery testing and design.
Founder of BatteryDesign.net and consultant on battery design projects from motorsport to grid to aerospace.
How would you say your industry has evolved over the past two years?
It is getting more mature, but still some way to go around openness on data and component specifications.
What do you see as the key priorities for engineers in the battery testing/design field?
Clearly documented test procedures and data clearly citing standards/processes.
What is the top challenge facing your industry at present?
New cell and chemistry data is being hailed as the next best thing, but often only part of the story is being told and lots of variability in what is meant. Eg what is Fast Charge?
What key development/s in battery testing and design are you most interested in for the future and why?
Faster methods for establishing degradation and hence lifetime prediction are required. At the moment they take too long and are too expensive for lots of smaller companies.
What progress would you expect to be made in this field over the next 5 years?
More standards and a merging of standards and testing to them.
What will you be presenting at the EIS seminar and how will this benefit participants?
My presentation will look at the high level battery design, what is what and some of the more interesting design progressions.
Why is it important for engineers to join this event?
We need to improve the robustness of battery pack design, they need to last longer and we need this to reduce the impact on the planet.