SERI KEMBANGAN: REAL world conditions ranging from flash floods to speed bumps have many owners of electrified vehicle questioning if their vehicle's floor-mounted battery packs are able to withstand harsh beatings and "keep on ticking".
During a recent technical briefing with members of the local media, a battery pack that powers the Chery Tiggo 7 PHEV and Tiggo 8 PHEV underwent an open flame test.
Chery battery engineer Zhang Wei Bo was on hand to walk through the layers of testing and the technology behind the company’s current battery pack.
Zhang insists that such battery packs are “always safe and protected”, even in the harshest of conditions.
The engineer stressed that Chery’s battery system was designed not just to meet, but to exceed, current (Chinese) national standards.
“Every test that has been done, we go above the normal standard range,” he elaborated.
Zhang went on to explain that the carmaker's battery pack goes through a series of punishing tests before it is cleared for production, starting with crush tests designed to simulate severe impacts.
In these tests, “a lot of pressure” is applied to the pack to see if the structure can still hold up and contain the cells safely under extreme deformation.
Another key area is water immersion – a concern that resonates strongly in Malaysia, where sudden downpours and flash floods are considered by many as common.
Should floods be a worry, speed bumps are another, with battery packs typically mounted under the vehicle's floor.
Here is where many drivers fear that scraping the battery pack over humps or uneven surfaces might damage it.
The engineer acknowledged this concern and pointed to additional structural protections and scraping tests carried out on the pack.
“Inside, the battery is layered like a sandwich, where the cells are in the middle, and covered with high-strength mechanical structure, whether vertically or horizontally.
“This way, our battery is always safe and protected,” he said.
Beyond the physical shell, the engineer said the battery system also has an electronic “brain” designed to react within milliseconds when it detects a problem.
“The system comes with safety features and has a system that will cut off the high voltage within milliseconds if the battery senses a thermal runaway, impact or collision,” he explained.
This rapid cut-off is designed to prevent further damage and reduce the risk of fire or further failures in the event of a serious accident.
Aside from possible damage, Zhang also explained that the battery is engineered to handle frequent charging and discharging.
“Frequent charging and discharging help to keep the battery in its comfort zone.
"In Malaysia, we provide a 10-year warranty (for the battery pack), while the national standard is lower, and other rivals probably give only eight years. We give an additional two years,” he said.
