South Korean battery provider SK On has launched a brand new cooling technique for electrical automobile battery packs, specializing in immersion cooling. This method, highlighted on the InterBattery 2025 commerce present, includes submerging battery cells and modules in a thermal fluid, probably oil, relatively than circulating coolant or air round them. In a press launch, SK On introduced a partnership with SK Enmove, one other subsidiary of the SK Group that makes a speciality of lubricants.
In keeping with SK On, direct contact between the thermal fluid and battery cells can extra successfully handle rising temperatures, offered that the movement is optimized for max contact with the cells. Moreover, immersion cooling necessitates a wi-fi battery administration system (BMS) to mitigate points associated to liquid flows round linked wires.
To implement this method, SK On attaches a chip to every battery cell, which communicates with antennas embedded inside every module. This design not solely simplifies the structure but additionally probably permits for the inclusion of extra cells within the battery pack.
Basic Motors has been a pioneer within the adoption of wi-fi BMS know-how, claiming that optimizing for this method may end up in smaller battery packs and improved vary. Equally, China’s CATL has built-in wi-fi BMS in a lot of its newest and upcoming applied sciences, viewing it as essential for enabling environment friendly battery swapping.
Whereas immersion cooling has been explored by numerous suppliers and automakers for over a decade, it has but to be broadly applied in shopper autos. Nevertheless, firms like Rimac are using this know-how in electrical supercars, and Ford is contemplating it for a brand new sort of battery designed for modular substitute in future electrical autos.
Air cooling stays a viable different, which Mercedes explored for its new CLA EV, promising enhanced effectivity. Nissan can also be contemplating air cooling because it transitions in the direction of solid-state battery know-how.
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