pepper motion wants to develop its own battery systems

The Denkendorf specialist for the electrification of commercial vehicles, pepper motion, has now announced the start of its own development of high-performance battery systems. The aim is to combine know-how and experience for the most cost-intensive component of an electric drive system with the highest development potential and to incorporate the practical experience of recent years in the commercial vehicle sector. Since October 2021, a team of nine experts at the Paderborn location has been working in the newly opened pepper office and laboratory spaces. This accelerates the already commenced development of next-generation battery systems.

Previously developed for commercial vehicle manufacturers

The strategic management of battery development at the company is the responsibility of CTO Matthias Kerler, whose research focus at the Chair of Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Munich was in the area of battery system technology and electric drive systems. The leadership for the dedicated development area Development Battery Systems in Paderborn is taken by Michael Schön. From the manufacturer's point of view, a unique constellation of an interdisciplinary expert team covers the many aspects of developing efficient and safe battery systems with high energy density. This ranges from the development and testing of cells and systems, hardware development and engineering of complete scalable, modular battery systems, software development for battery system control and management, and last but not least functional safety according to ISO 26262. Currently, the battery team is already supporting departments of other commercial vehicle manufacturers in the development and integration of battery systems, the provider further advertises.

Specific requirements for commercial vehicles

The specific requirements for battery systems in the commercial vehicle sector are significantly higher than those for passenger car models due to the harsh everyday use. Robustness, durability, safety, availability, energy efficiency, and sustainability are the central demands from fleet operators for emission-free electric drive systems and battery systems. The collaboration between the development teams in Denkendorf, Paderborn, and Vienna is intended to guarantee synergies and efficient, digital product development across multiple locations.

“Our extensive knowledge and experience in this field give us the decisive edge in developing the next generations of battery systems in the commercial vehicle sector. For our future product development, we will incorporate all current trends in battery cell development, provided they meet our high requirements for functional safety and reliability,” assured Matthias Kerler, CTO of pepper motion GmbH.