Rivian R1T has very nice and compact modular battery pack. In this Article you will the details about the Battery pack and Module Construction. For this details credits to Munro for their Battery Pack breakdown and Module Breakdown Videos. After that you can see the Benchmarking details: Standard Specification, Key Pack Metrics and other Safety Features for Rivian R1T battery pack and Module.
To Directly go to different sections, select and click below:
- Battery Pack and Module construction breakdown
- Exploded View of a Module
- Battery Specifications
- Key Pack Metrics
- Other Safety Features
Battery Pack and Module Construction breakdown:
Rivian R1T battery pack has a very nice Compact construction of 9 Modules. These are arranged as you see in the Photo below in 4 modules x 4 modules in a rectangle and 1 on the top with Battery management boards and their connections going through the middle. The Modules sits in 4 Aluminum Frame extrusions which is bolted to carbon frame on the bottom.
The Whole Pack is then covered by Large Mica sheet followed by Steel Tray Cover top.
Laser welded Current collectors or busbars on the side that connect the top and bottom layer in series.
Module Bottom Side View. All current Collectors both for positive and negative terminal are on the top. This makes it easy to assemble and weld. The Module is made up of two Layers of 462 Cells each arrange in 24 x 18, 12 in serial and 72 parallel. The Module is assumed to be assembled layer by layer. First Layer with Cells and current collectors held together by polyurethane boards. This Layer is then glued to the cooling plate (again assuming) whole thing turned upside down and then the second layer same way.
The Two Layers of Module and the Cooling plate is held together on the side with Side Plates. They are a structural component which also attach the Module to the battery pack or the battery pack housing.
The Cells and current collector on top are covered by another Polyurethane cover Tray or fixturing cover which holds the cells in place. Then the Side Polyurethane plates are put in followed by Current collectors on the top which then get welded to the battery terminals.
2 location weld on a negative terminal and positive terminal with single laser weld.
Single Sided Busbars
The benefit to this approach is that the sides and base of the can are free for cooling. In the case of the Rivian battery this allows all of the cells to be cooled with simple large coolant plates bonded to the base of the cells.
The image shows a 2p2s set of cells. The “tuning fork” busbar is very simple and can be used again and again for each set of cells in the series string.
Exploded Battery Module View
Specifications:
- total energy [Wh]: 141.1 kWh
- usable energy [Wh]: 135 kWh
- Usable Window: 95.7%
- power [W]: Peak 622kW but system power is stated at 562kW
- continuous power [W]
- nominal voltage [V]
- nominal pack capacity [Ah]: 360 Ah
- voltage range [V]:
- Maximum: 459 V
- Minimum: 216 V
- weight [kg]: 795.92 kg
- volume [litres]
- pack dimensions x,y,z [m]
- Total number of cells [#]: 7776
- Modules: 9
- Number of Cells per Module [#]: 864, in two layers of 462 (24 x 18) separated by a cooling plate.
- Module Configuration: One Layer 462, 12s72p
- Overall Pack Configuration: 108s72p
- charge time [minutes]:
- Onboard Board Carger: 11.5kW (AC Level 2) with 25 miles range per hour of charge.
- DC Charger: upto 140 miles of range in 20 mins
- Peak charge Power [kW] 210 kW
- cell format: Cylindrical 21700
- Nominal Voltage per Cell [V]: 3.63 V
- Nominal Capacity per Cell [Ah]: 5 Ah
- cell make and model: Samsung 50G, Datasheet pdf
- cell Mass: 70gm per cell, 544kg Total mass of cells.
- cooling system: Module two halfs are joined by a thermal management or a cold plate. Ethylene Glycol through a brazed Aluminum enclosure.
- pack cost
Key Pack Metrics
When designing a battery pack you will always be asked to benchmark it. For this there are a number of key metrics:
- Safety
- Wh/kg – Pack Gravimetric Energy Density: 177 Wh/kg
- Per Module Wh/kg –
- Wh/litre
- W/kg: 706 W/kg
- Per Module W/kg:
- W/litre
- $/kWh
- Cell to Pack mass ratio: 68%
- Cell to Pack volume ratio
- Durability – % of pack capacity available after 10 years
A first look at pack metrics versus application and what is important and what is not.
5 = important
1 = not important
Other key features:
- Safety
- BMS design
- HV and LV Connections
- Cooling Connections
- Structural / non-structural pack
- Case material
- Sealing strategy
- Venting strategy
- Durability – % of pack capacity available after 10 years
- Availability
- Recycling
- Shipping
This list will need to work with the simplest of battery pack designs through to the most complex.
References: