As we transition to Net Zero the use of batteries in transport and energy storage will dramatically increase. The UK is a hotbed for research and development of new battery technologies which must be tested to ensure that they are compatible in real world applications, such as in electric vehicles. Improved thermal testing is required to ensure that these battery technologies are fit for purpose and safe to use.

Oxford-based technology start-up, Cognition Energy developed a new thermal testing product for batteries – the CellPod. The CellPod provides improved accuracy and flexibility compared to traditional methods for thermal testing of cells. The innovator needed help to understand market barriers, size, and access, and which customers would be mostly likely to buy the CellPod – aiding commercial planning.

The challenge

Cognition Energy wanted to understand the priority segments for the CellPod within three key markets. They had three areas that they wanted to focus their attention on:

• Market barriers – ensuring that the CellPod is the right product and that it will remain applicable as the battery market matures.
• Market size – what is the size of the market that they could sell to.
• Market access – guidance on how to access the priority market segments and how the CellPod should be marketed to different priority segments.

The innovation

Cognition Energy provides a cell testing service (a cell is a single electrochemical unit – batteries are made of multiple cells) where they perform a range of tests on cells to assess parameters such as battery lifetime, performance and degradation. This alerted them to the need for improved thermal testing of cells to more accurately represent the battery cooling systems that are present in electric vehicles. Cognition Energy developed a new thermal testing product, the CellPod, to solve this problem.

The CellPod has the following advantages over current technology:

• Improved accuracy – thermal testing using the CellPod more accurately represents the cooling that is likely to occur when a cell is present in an electric vehicle.
• Improved flexibility – different temperatures can be used for each individual cell providing improved flexibility. This also enables 100% utilisation of cell testing equipment.

The CellPod provides cooling or heating to the cell using direct surface contact from -20°C to +120°C. In contrast, current thermal testing technology uses convection heating which is less accurate and less consistent.

The solution

Energy Systems Catapult helped Cognition Energy with market segmentation, one of the services that the Business Model Innovation team at the Catapult provides.

The market segmentation used desk-based research and interviews with relevant sector stakeholders to identify priority segments that Cognition Energy should be focusing on. The work found that:

• Four cell formats are commonly used within the three markets: coin, pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical formats.
• While some markets predominantly use coin cells, there is a general trend toward prismatic cells in automotive-related markets.
• Liquid cooling is the predominant method of cooling cells used in automotive applications.
• Priority segments could be identified based upon ten segmentation criteria, such as cell formats and industry links.

Impact

This work has given Cognition Energy a starting point for further analysis into the different markets that the CellPod is applicable to. They are prepared to ensure that any future research and development is geared towards products that are suitable for the future battery market. They have a list of prioritised market segments to focus on and a comprehensive list of players in each market. They also have a starting point for targeted communication and marketing for each segment.

Tom Cleaver, CEO, Cognition Energy, said: 

“The market segmentation performed by the Energy Systems Catapult was of high quality and unearthed critically important information that enabled us to take decisive action on the product development. As a result, the architecture of the solution was amended to account for the market as we now understand it, enabling us to offer an improved testing service sooner than anticipated and a more flexible product in future.”