G'day,
At the beginning of October last year, I travelled all the way to the other side of the world – down under. As if that wasn't enough, I travelled there with my wife and two and a half year old daughter to spend three and a half months researching the safety of lithium-ion batteries of the future with Joshua Watts’ and Michael Horn's group at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane.
In numerous national and international collaborations, I am involved in the further development and optimisation of the safety of lithium-ion batteries in vehicle applications over their entire life cycle. There always comes a point when, in addition to changes in the vehicle structure, changes in the cell structure are also necessary. And this is exactly what I'm doing here in Australia. Together with my colleagues at QUT, I am working on possible changes to individual cell components that contribute to improving safety in the vehicle while still being able to fulfil the highest performance requirements. In the laboratory of the Energy Storage Research Group (ESRG) at Queensland University of Technology, Li-ion cell components and cells can be manufactured and benchmarked in commercially representative cell formats and sizes. The results should show which measures to increase safety should be investigated further in the future and how these influence the performance and service life of Li-ion cells.
I realised right at the beginning of my stay that Brisbane is an amazing and vibrant city. Located directly on the Brisbane River, Australia's sunshine capital offers many idyllic green spaces, top gastronomy and numerous leisure activities. But the Aussies with their easy-going attitude, friendliness and helpfulness also make the city worth living in. Not forgetting Australia's beautiful beaches, which are a must-see. So far I've been able to see several of them at the weekends and I hope there are more to come.
All the best from Brisbane,
Christian Ellersdorfer
(Institute of Vehicle Safety)
Brisbane spelled out in South Bank with the Brisbane skyline in the background. Source: Christian Ellersdorfer
Whitehaven Beach on the east coast of Australia's Whitunday Island – one of the most beautifuf beaches I've ever seen. Source: Christian Ellersdorfer
