Batteries for EV Applications equips technical professionals with the knowledge to evaluate, design, and manage battery systems for electric vehicles. Covering everything from battery chemistries and pack construction to safety, degradation, and future technologies, the course blends theory with practical exercises and mini-projects. Participants will gain a systems-level understanding of how batteries impact performance, cost, and sustainability in EVs and beyond.

• Electrical, mechanical, and systems engineers working on electrified vehicle platforms.
• Technical leaders and project managers involved in EV development or battery integration.
• Engineers transitioning into roles focused on energy storage, power conversion, or sustainable mobility.

• Analyze and compare battery chemistries, configurations, and performance metrics for EV applications.
• Model battery behavior and degradation using equivalent circuit models and simulation tools.
• Evaluate safety, lifecycle, and second-life considerations to inform design and system integration decisions.

This course will integrate active learning exercises and a mini project to allow students to practice the principles being taught.

1. Introduction to Batteries

• Key Components
• Types of battery construction
• Key battery parameters and battery performance metrics

2. Battery Chemistry

• Become conversant with chemical reaction formulae
• Gain an appreciation that not all battery types are created equal
• Be able to state the suitability of a particular battery chemistry for a particular application
• Gain awareness that battery chemistries are constantly evolving

3. Batteries for EVs

• Gain an appreciation of battery sizing for electric vehicles
• Draw parallels with engine sizing
• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of using higher voltage batteries
• Identify approaches to specify size and type of a battery

Mini-Project: Part 1

4. Battery Safety

• Identify the main hazards that batteries pose
• Understand the different root causes that can lead to batteries becoming hazardous
• Learn that batteries will remain safe when systems and controls are appropriately engineered

5. Battery Management Systems

• Understand the purpose and function of a Battery Management System (BMS)
• Appreciate common BMS components and architectures
• Define limitations of BMS

6. Battery Modelling

• Understand the role of battery modelling
• Explore types of battery modelling and examine their inherent advantages/disadvantages
• Learn about different battery modelling tools
• Know how to create a basic battery model

Mini-Project: Part 2

7. Battery Degradation

• Learn what contributes to battery degradation
• Understand the metrics used to evaluate battery degradation
• Identify mitigations that help reduce battery degradation
• Evaluate what level of degradation is acceptable

8. Battery Testing

• Identify Mechanical Testing Processes
• Identify Electrical Testing Processes
• Identify Cross Coupling between testing processes
• EOL Testing
• Explain what you are really testing for?"

9. Static (Non-mobile) Applications

• Explore four static  (non mobile) applications associated with electrified vehicles
• Define the applications and their context
• Identify challenges for applications
• Identify benefits for applications

Mini-Project: Part 3

10. Mobile Applications

• Gain understanding of the wide range of electrification opportunities for vehicles
• Identify hybrid arrangements and hybridisation levels
• Become familiar with specific case studies
• Build insight into the broader impact of electrification in vehicles

11. Second Life Considerations

• Understand why we might consider an alternative to new
• Identify the risks and benefits of lease models/second life
• Consider what the future state may look like
• Identify when it makes sense to Recycle vs Reuse

12. Battery Supply Chain

• Identify key raw materials used in battery manufacture
• Understand key manufacturing processes for batteries (especially Li-ion)
• Examine how IP impacts battery manufacturing
• Consider the strategic market for batteries

13. Future Battery Technologies

• Achieve insight into the future state of battery technology
• Identify Different formats & chemistries of the future/on the horizon - Solid State?
• Consider what may come next and when is NEXT?
• Identify the rationale behind future trends
• Build a question-based framework that helps define future direction

Mini-Project: Part 4

Ahmad Khan

Theodore Bohn

Theodore Bohn is a principal investigator for Grid Connected Vehicle (Smart Grid/Advanced Charging) research in the Vehicle Systems Group with the Center for Transportation Research at Argonne National Laboratory. He has been working on advanced technology and alternative energy fueled vehicle research for over 25 years and is the current Advanced Battery Technology Chair for the SAE Congress. Bohn received his BS and MS degree in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

Awad Ali Syed

Awad Ali Syed is a senior engineering leader with over 15 years of experience in battery systems, systems integration, embedded controls, functional safety, and electric vehicle (EV) technologies. He currently serves as an Engineering Group Manager at General Motors.

Prior to this, Awad held engineering leadership roles at Freudenberg EPower Systems, Our Next Energy, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, where he managed system architecture, BMS development across xEV platforms, clean-sheet software development, and led global functional safety initiatives. His earlier roles at Robert Bosch Battery Systems and General Motors (via iGATE) focused on diagnostic algorithm development, model-based design, and HiL validation for high-voltage battery systems.

Awad holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University, with a specialization in power electronics and control systems. His technical interests include model-based systems engineering (MBSE), battery diagnostics, safety-critical software, and scalable integration frameworks for next-generation mobility platforms.