Hyundai Mobis recently announced a breakthrough in electric-vehicle safety with a battery system that sprays an extinguishing agent directly onto a cell at the first sign of fire, preventing heat transfer to neighbouring cells and halting thermal runaway.
It is the first technology of its kind to extinguish flames instantly at the cell level rather than merely delaying fire spread with heat-resistant materials.
The new Battery System Assembly integrates a battery management system, fire-suppression hardware and control software.
Sensors continuously monitor temperature, voltage and internal pressure, and when an anomaly is detected, the software pinpoints the affected cell and activates the extinguisher.
The decision-making logic is built on redundant algorithms and multiple safety devices to ensure rapid and accurate responses under all conditions.
Hyundai Mobis has equipped each module with an agent reservoir five times the capacity of a standard 3.3kg home fire extinguisher.
The environmentally benign substance combines cooling, insulation and penetration properties to douse flames effectively. The company has filed three patents covering the battery case, fire-suppression device and high-pressure piping design.
These innovations respond to regulatory demands in Europe, China and India for at least five minutes’ delay in thermal runaway and anticipate even stricter future rules requiring outright prevention of heat propagation.
In parallel, Hyundai Mobis is commercialising a new “pulsating heat pipe” material composed of aluminium alloy and refrigerant, designed to sit between cells and draw away excess heat, particularly during rapid charging.
Park Yong Jun, Vice-President of Battery System R&D, said that as electric vehicles gain range, “safety standards for battery systems are becoming more stringent,” and pledged to exceed global requirements by integrating advanced hardware and software into next-generation battery packs.
Hyundai Mobis will be showcasing a range of new technologies tailored to Chinese customers at the upcoming Auto Shanghai 2025, which opens on March 23.
With its participation in Auto Shanghai, the company plans to more than double its efforts for product roadshows for targeted customers and strengthen local customer networking to achieve orders worth US$200 million (RM883mil) this year.
