Hyundai Mobis' new battery system has its own fire extinguisher. The system is designed to prevent thermal runaway and fires from spreading in electric car batteries.
Hyundai Mobis, a subcontractor in the Hyundai Group, has just presented a new battery system to the public.
The system is developed to improve the safety of electric vehicles. It includes technology designed to address fire risks in battery packs.
Fires in vehicles pose a serious risk. In electric vehicles, a battery fire can develop quickly. This is due to the large amount of energy stored in the batteries.
Hyundai Mobis' new system addresses this very challenge. The company has designed a system with a built-in fire extinguishing function. The goal is to stop a fire before it escalates.
The problem occurs when a battery cell overheats. This can start a chain reaction called thermal runaway. The heat usually spreads rapidly to neighboring cells, and it is this chain of reactions that is difficult to stop.
The process itself can lead to rapid fire development and, in the worst case, explosions. The new system, called "Battery System Assembly", is intended to prevent such fires.
Integrated fire extinguisher prevents the fire from going wild
The system is designed to respond quickly. A fire must be controlled within a short time.
Hyundai Mobis states that the system can extinguish a fire within five minutes using a special extinguishing agent.
The agent is sprayed directly into the battery area in the event of a fire. The South Koreans state that the extinguishing agent is not harmful. Neither to people nor to the environment.
It is described as effective in cooling down overheated materials. At the same time, it blocks electrical conductivity.
This limits the spread of heat to other battery cells. The system's primary function is to prevent the situation from worsening and spreading.
Advanced monitoring and automatic activation
The solution consists of both hardware and software. A central part is an advanced battery management system (BMS).
This system constantly monitors the condition of the battery. Parameters such as temperature, voltage and pressure in the cells are continuously recorded.
If the software in the BMS detects abnormal values that indicate a potential fire hazard, the system reacts. First, a warning is issued.
The integrated fire extinguisher is then activated automatically. The extinguishing agent is released to fight the incipient fire.
Hyundai has filed three patent applications related to the new system. The applications cover the design itself and the specific fire extinguishing device. The development represents a step towards potentially safer electric vehicle batteries in the future.
While Hyundai Mobis focuses on safety technology, it is not clear whether the new technology itself kills the battery. So a new battery is needed , even if the battery pack did not necessarily burn out.
