Simulation App Speeds Up Electric Truck Battery Design

16 October 2026 4 min read هدهد تك | Hudhud Tech

In today’s fast-paced world, quick delivery options such as two-day, one-day, and even same-day shipping have become the norm. Despite the rise of localized fulfillment and distribution centers, delivery trucks still face the challenge of long-distance travel, often on highways. To mitigate fuel and maintenance costs, as well as carbon emissions, companies are increasingly investing in electric trucks for their fleets. However, the battery packs used in these vehicles frequently do not meet the longevity required for extended highway journeys.

To address the issue of battery lifespan, a consortium of universities and industry partners has integrated multiscale simulation and a custom simulation app into the battery manufacturing process. The project involves several organizations, including Aurobay, Resolvent, the European Commission, the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Vinnova (the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems), Innovation Fund Denmark, and Volvo Group Trucks Operations.

The simulation app, developed by Resolvent, a Denmark-based engineering consultancy focused on green energy, allows the research and development department at Volvo to efficiently assess battery lifetime performance.

LaserBATMAN Project

The Multiscale Simulation of Laser Welding for Optimal Battery Pack Manufacturing project, known as “LaserBATMAN,” commenced in May 2022 and is set to conclude in May 2025. While the acronym BATMAN stands for battery manufacturing, the project’s objectives aim for significant advancements in battery technology.

LaserBATMAN focuses on optimizing two critical performance metrics for battery packs: robustness and lifespan. A key aspect of the battery manufacturing process that influences these metrics is the laser welding used to join components, such as connecting battery cells via a busbar. Properly executed laser welding can enhance battery life, while improper techniques can lead to degradation. Computational modeling plays a vital role in analyzing and predicting the effects of welding processes throughout manufacturing.

Martin Refslund Nielsen, former chief commercial officer and partner at Resolvent, noted that for addressing such multiphysics and multiscale challenges, “COMSOL Multiphysics is just the right tool.”

R&D Workflow and App Development

The Resolvent team employed COMSOL Multiphysics software to investigate how laser welding impacts the electrochemistry and degradation of battery cells. Initially, the project focused on this aspect, but as ambitions grew, the team expanded their modeling to encompass the entire battery, from cell to pack level, ultimately transforming the model into a design tool.

After training the deep neural network (DNN) of the battery model, the team created a custom simulation app to optimize busbar tabs within the battery pack configuration. They began by developing an electrochemical model of a battery cell, incorporating formulas for relevant chemical reaction kinetics. This cell-layer model was then used to train the DNN, enabling rapid insights into cell behavior.

Busbar Weld Design Tool

The simulation app features various options, including inputting dimensions for pack geometry, the number of cells, and operating conditions such as ambient temperature and charge-discharge current profiles. Users can apply a simple charging current and load customized cycles, allowing them to observe battery performance under specific conditions.

A notable feature of Resolvent’s app is the Busbar Weld Design Tool, described by Nielsen as “a tool within a tool.” This function enables users to efficiently calculate busbar weld performance after multiple cycles. By clicking the button, users can access a window with options for setting parameters like weld shape, busbar thickness, and laser penetration depth.

Nielsen emphasized the importance of this tool for robust design, allowing users to explore variations in input parameters and assess potential production outcomes if the weld penetration is insufficient.

Optimizing Battery Performance

The app’s user interface includes a Compute Battery button, enabling users to evaluate the temperature of the weld, the state of charge, and the thickness of the solid-electrolyte interface (SEI) layer. These results assist the engineering team in identifying opportunities for design optimization, such as applying cooling flows to observe turbulence or stagnant air effects.

Nielsen highlighted that simulation apps facilitate consistent analysis and reporting, making knowledge sharing more intuitive. “We are in a much better place to optimize performance and increase robustness,” he stated.

The custom simulation app developed by the LaserBATMAN consortium aims to produce more resilient battery designs capable of supporting longer highway travel with fewer failures, all while promoting green energy initiatives.

References

“LaserBATMAN,” University of Skovde, accessed 08/21/2025, https://www.his.se/en/research/virtual-engineering/virtual-manufacturing-processes/LaserBatman/.
R. Nielsen, “Keynote: Optimizing Lifetime and Robustness of Electric Truck Batteries with Simulation Apps,” COMSOL Conference 2024 Florence, October 2024.