Industrial PhD Student Lithium Ion Battery Cell Safety

Scania is now undergoing a transformation from being a supplier of trucks, buses and engines to a supplier of complete and sustainable transport solutions.

Industrial PhD Student in the area of Electromobility, specifically Lithium Ion battery cell safety 

 
Employed by Scania, placed in R&D group for Battery Cell development
 

Academically connected to Uppsala University, Department of Chemistry - Ångström
 

This project is about the future of electrified heavy transport. With your help it is hopefully soon the present.  

This project aims at realizing larger Li-ion battery systems through a more profound understanding of the failure mechanisms causing thermal runaway. To this end, the flue gas formed and heat evolution during thermal runaway will be studied. Thereby, test methods contributing to the understanding of the flue gases and heat generation on both the macroscopic (industrial) and microscopic (prototype/lab) scale will be developed, aiming at bridging the gap in between the two types of experiments. Small scale experiments on cell level are more practical to perform but adds the difficulty of translating the results into system level safety performance. 

The PhD project will focus on microscopic cell testing with controlled chemistry and model implementation/parametrization. Bridging the macroscopic and microscopic perspectives and results will be key for the project outcome, and a solid foundation for improved testing routines. An integral part is to develop metrics and strategies for developing understanding of the systems based on subcomponent experiments, such as individual cells or electrode materials. Using computer simulation to translate subcomponent experimental results into predictions of system performance is a powerful way to connect small scale with full scale battery testing.  

Understanding performance and safety is critical for enabling electrification in the automotive sector. As industrial PhD student in this field there will be many opportunities for collaboration. In addition to your dedicated support and reference group, with knowledgeable people from this area, there are many other interested parties within Scania that will support and contribute. You will be well-connected to on-going research and development activities in this area, both internally within Scania and Volkswagen Group and externally within Uppsala University, other academic institutions, but also with the remaining project partners at RISE and Northvolt. 

You will be part of the Battery cell development team at Scania R&D which has the mission to develop safe and sustainable battery cells with performance optimized for Scania's electric trucks and buses. Besides cell development engineers, simulation engineers and data analysts, the team also includes another industrial PhD student.  

Your profile 

It will be possible for you to affect the direction of the project, to suit your interests and competencies. We believe that a background or vested interest in one or several of the following topics, chemistry, combustion, computer science, experimental design, statistics or similar fields would be very useful. 

Admission requirements: A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she: 


• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or 
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were 
awarded in the second cycle, or 
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad. 

 
We look forward to receiving your application including a CV, cover letter and copies of degrees and certificates. Selections will be done on an ongoing basis. 

For further information please contact: 

David Raymand, industrial supervisor 
Cell development  
david.raymand@scania.com 

Verena Löfqvist Klass, manager 
Cell development 
verena.klass@scania.com  


Scania is a world-leading provider of transport solutions. Together with our partners and customers we are driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system. In 2020, we delivered 66,900 trucks, 5,200 buses as well as 11,000 industrial and marine power systems to our customers. Net sales totalled to over SEK 125 billion, of which over 20 percent were services-related. Founded in 1891, Scania now operates in more than 100 countries and employs some 50,000 people. Research and development are mainly concentrated in Sweden. Production takes place in Europe and Latin America with regional product centres in Africa, Asia and Eurasia. Scania is part of TRATON GROUP. For more information visit: www.scania.com.