Advanced Simulation Accelerates Next-Gen EV Battery Design
Electric vehicle adoption continues to rise, yet the technology’s competitiveness against internal combustion engine platforms hinges on further advances in battery performance. Range, durability, charging speed, and safety must be improved across diverse operating conditions, while costs must be reduced to reach parity with conventional vehicles. With batteries representing roughly 30% of an EV’s total cost, even modest efficiency gains can have significant economic impact.
Dassault Systèmes is addressing these challenges through its 3DEXPERIENCE platform, a multidisciplinary environment designed to unite automakers, battery manufacturers, and research teams around a single, continuously updated data model. This integration allows stakeholders to evaluate configurations, materials, and chemistries in real time, making iterative adjustments without the delays inherent in siloed workflows.
Collaboration extends to researchers developing novel chemistries for anodes, cathodes, and separators, with projects ranging from single-cell prototypes to the mass production of billions of cells. “We work at various levels, starting all the way down to quantum-type analysis… atomic and molecular simulations,” says Victor Oancea, senior technology director for Dassault’s SIMULIA unit. He describes the company’s physics-based simulation capabilities as both comprehensive and sophisticated, enabling design from form factors and subsystem attributes to full virtual battery packs.
The process encompasses thermal management, electromagnetics, acoustics, and fluid dynamics, scaling from molecular interactions to system-level performance. Oancea notes that “there’s a lot of design, virtual testing and computer simulation of what can happen to optimize efficiencies… (and) improving things that you otherwise can’t measure.” Such capabilities are critical for safety-critical scenarios, including crash events that risk short circuits and thermal runaway. Designing lightweight, crashworthy cooling systems requires precise modeling that captures interactions across mechanical, thermal, and electrical domains.
Within 3DEXPERIENCE, teams can share functional requirements, develop conceptual and detailed designs, and conduct realistic simulations of components and complete systems. Integrated data management and project planning tools ensure that design changes propagate instantly across CAD and CAE applications, eliminating inconsistencies. The platform’s latest release, R2023x, brings enhancements to MODSIM (Unified Modeling & Simulation), CATIA, SOLIDWORKS, and BIOVIA for materials design and analysis, alongside expanded cloud simulation capabilities.
Applications include next-generation composite stiffened structures, fully coupled 3D thermo-electrochemistry with pore pressure modeling, and low-frequency electromagnetics analysis for motor optimization. Pre-packaged models allow teams to evaluate materials and prioritize physical tests, while systems architecture tools support the development of complex battery systems. These multidisciplinary functions enable simultaneous evaluation of molecular-level properties and macro-scale structural, mechanical, thermal, diffusion, and electrical behavior.
Virtual twins of EV components—batteries, drivetrains, chassis, suspension, tires, braking systems, and passenger safety features—can be developed and tested within the same environment. This holistic approach reduces reliance on costly physical prototypes and accelerates the refinement of designs toward manufacturable, high-performance solutions.
Beyond battery innovation, related developments in manufacturing software and digital infrastructure are shaping advanced engineering workflows. ProShop ERP recently secured $32 million from Mainsail Partners to expand its cloud-based platform for regulated industries such as aerospace, defense, and medical manufacturing. “The market demand has been, and continues to be, strong for our product. We knew that if we wanted to serve our mission even better and serve more shops in the industry we love so much, we needed a partner,” says Paul Van Metre, ProShop co-founder. The investment will accelerate product development and customer service expansion, with Mainsail’s Anthony Hayes and Jason Frankel joining the board.
In parallel, Toronto-based Metafold raised $1.8 million in seed funding to advance industrial 3D printing adoption. Founded in 2020, the company has built a high-speed geometry computation engine capable of producing accurate designs for complex parts. Its SaaS platform supports both direct web-based part optimization and API integration for custom workflows. “Manufacturing sustainability is driven by two factors—improving the material consumption of existing fabrication methods and designing for optimality over the lifetime use of manufactured goods,” notes Elissa Ross, Metafold’s co-founder and CEO. By enabling lighter, more efficient parts that consume less energy, the technology aligns with broader goals in sustainable manufacturing.
