Germany – Stuttgart-based Mahle Group has developed a new battery housing with integrated thermal management as a solution for increasing rapid charging capability of traction batteries in vehicles; the key benefit being the batteries can be smaller by up to 40% as well as being recharged very quickly. Mahle says its newly developed battery housing with integral thermal management not only reduces the CO₂ footprint of the electric vehicle, but also lowers the demand for raw materials for battery production, which are becoming increasingly scarce worldwide. The special cooling system enables a very quick charging process to take place within minutes without damage to the battery cells, hence a smaller battery (capacity) is therefore needed.

Mahle explained that in order to implement the required high cooling performance during the rapid charging process, the battery cells are surrounded by dielectric fluid as part of the battery housing concept. The fibre-reinforced plastic design of the housing is both lightweight and extremely robust, which also provides weight benefits in the vehicle. but the key advantage is the massive weight benefit due to the smaller battery. Asked how scalable the new battery packs were and Mahle the system can be customized to any customer demands from two wheelers to heavy trucks.