25%
Weight differences between technical solutions
Driving Innovation: Competitive Cost and Technology in High-Performance EV Battery Systems
A leading luxury sports car manufacturer sought to strengthen its position in the electric vehicle market through comprehensive battery technology analysis. EFESO worked with the team to evaluate four competitor BEV vehicles’ battery sub-systems, examining cooling, cell stacking, busbar design and thermal propagation solutions. The benchmarking revealed cost differences of up to 22% when normalized for battery capacity, guiding critical design decisions for next-generation electric vehicles.
Automotive and Commercial Vehicles
Cost and Value Engineering
Manufacturing
Product Profitability
R&d and Product Development
R&d and Product Profitability
Our Client
This luxury sports car manufacturer operates at the pinnacle of automotive performance and craftsmanship. The company produces exclusive high-performance vehicles. The organization was developing its new battery electric vehicle platform and needed strategic guidance on technical solutions for high-voltage battery components, to maintain its competitive edge in the evolving electric vehicle landscape.
The Challenge
Entering the high-performance electric vehicle market required critical design decisions for which comprehensive market intelligence was necessary. The manufacturer faced several obstacles:
- Technology selection complexity: Multiple technical solutions existed for battery cooling systems, cell stacking configurations, busbar designs and thermal propagation management, each with different cost-weight-performance trade-offs
- Budget limitations: Physical procurement and laboratory disassembly of competitor battery packs was not feasible within project constraints, requiring alternative analysis methods
- Scope definition challenges: Initial considerations included high voltage cabling and e-motors, but focus needed to narrow down to the most strategic battery sub-systems where design choices would have maximum impact
Real Results Achieved Together
The comprehensive benchmarking analysis provided clear guidance for battery system design decisions. Working with the client's engineering teams, we delivered insights on cost-weight-performance trade-offs across four critical battery sub-systems. Such as a twenty-two percentage of cost differences when normalized for battery capacity.
€16 - €21
Per Kwh cost range identified
1.5Kg
Per Kwh lightest solution
Transformation Impact
- Identified optimal cooling technologies ranging from direct liquid cooling plates to passive systems
- Revealed busbar integration variations from advanced press-fit to traditional bolted assemblies
- Highlighted trade-offs between material diversity, recyclability, density and performance
Our Approach
The engagement began by collaborating with the manufacturer to select and agree on four benchmark BEVs (battery electric vehicles), each representing a different approach to battery design in top-tier electric vehicles. We carefully defined the boundaries of the four component scopes with the client, ensuring clear categorization of what counted under busbar, cooling system, cell stacking and thermal propagation chapters.
Our analysis leveraged publicly available industry benchmarks and expert interpretation, using specialized platforms for bill of materials analysis. The team evaluated key parameters including energy density, total storage capacity, cooling system efficacy, material composition and modular design elements. We developed cost and weight estimates for each sub-system across all four vehicles, normalizing values per kilowatt/hour to enable meaningful comparisons despite different battery capacities.
The methodology included detailed technical descriptions of the differences between solutions, with visual representations highlighting the specific components under analysis. This approach enabled the client’s engineering and procurement teams to understand not just what solutions existed, but how costs and weights adjusted according to specific design choices.
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Facing Similar Battery Technology Challenges?
- Navigating complex design choices for electric vehicle battery systems without clear cost-performance data
- Transforming uncertainty into strategic advantage through competitive intelligence and technical benchmarking
- Partner with us to identify optimal solutions that balance innovation, cost, and performance
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