Ricardo is setting up a battery systems development centre at its Van Buren Township, Michigan, headquarters in the United States to offer turn-key engineering and development of complete high-voltage battery-pack systems for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.

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The centre will feature three lithium-ion-capable development chambers, large HEV/EV-capable battery cyclers and equipment to facilitate the development of battery systems in simulated vehicle environments.


The centre will be used to validate design, analysis and simulation of advanced high-power battery packs. This, combined with the company’s pack/vehicle integration, hybrid transmission development and vehicle development capabilities, puts it in what it claims is a unique position of being able to provide turn-key vehicle battery systems development.


“Electrification of the vehicle is a critical element of automakers’ strategies for reaching 35-mile-per-gallon CAFE regulations,” said Ricardo president Dean Harlow.


“Up to half the development cost of a battery system can be the robust integration of battery cells into packs.”

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The centre, projected to grow to a staff of 32, will focus on engineering complete Li-Ion and nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery-pack systems (as distinct from the development of battery cells, which is the domain of cell manufacturers).


Prototype pack systems will be developed in three specially built development chambers equipped with safety and filtration systems.


The first chamber is scheduled to be commissioned by mid-summer 2008.