Is there a revolutionary cooling design in the Ford Mach-E? This episode starts off with Sandy bringing up this very topic, saying that they have found something unique inside this design.
Sandy hands over the reins to Ben as he explains what is found in each battery bay, focusing on the cooling plates and their unique design using a dimpled design pathway for the coolant to flow, similar to the “Plinko Board” from “The Price Is Right” causing the coolant to move in random directions around different areas of the plates and creates a turbulent flow that more effectively transfers heat. All of the coolant is supplied through well designed cooling lines that are attached through quick connects.
Ben also points out that it is actually the battery modules that fix the cooling plates down using the studs that protrude through the cooling plates, which is a great double use of a fastener.
Sandy and Ben then move over to look at the battery modules and cells themselves and where we get a chance to see that the Ford Mach-E and Chevy Bolt batteries are identical which makes sense as they are both supplied by LG. However, Ford made some interested improvements on the rest of the modules, using collector plates that are copper that have been nickel plated with the ends of the battery tabs welded to the plates, but more importantly, Ford chose a smart ribbon cable design for the circuitry to manage the battery cells which prevents breakage during installation and ultimately a cost savings.
From there Ben goes over a great design choice on the Ford Mach-E where Ford has placed bent aluminum strips that aligns up witht the thermal interface compound allowing them to use less compound, saving money, and helping to speed heat transfer. Ben also talks about the foam pads in between the cells which allows for expansion as the cells age.
Finally, Sandy talks about our future “best-of-best” battery tray design that we are coming up with. To catch what he says, watch the full episode below:
