BATMAN - BAttery Thermal MANagement and Diagnostics for Heavy Duty Applications

A Caterpillar wheel loader will test a new battery system designed to keep its cells from overheating and degrading too quickly. The problem is straightforward: heavy machinery like wheel loaders, excavators, and delivery trucks needs large batteries that can survive years of hard use. Current battery packs in these vehicles often fail prematurely because heat builds up unevenly during demanding work cycles, and the control systems lack the precision to manage that heat or monitor cell health in real time. Perkins Engines, AVID Technology, and Imperial College London have formed a consortium to solve this by combining advanced thermal management—keeping each cell at its optimal temperature—with smarter monitoring and control software. If the project succeeds, the battery system could make electric and hybrid commercial vehicles—both on-highway trucks and off-highway construction equipment—commercially viable. That would mean lower fuel costs and reduced emissions for industries that currently rely almost entirely on diesel. The immediate impact is on supply chains and construction sites, not on personal cars. The consortium will also use simulation to prove that the whole integrated powertrain, not just the battery, can be cost-effective at scale.