Battery system and vehicle comprising the same

Abstract

A battery system (10) for an electric vehicle, comprising a plurality of battery cells (12) and a battery housing (20) enclosing the battery cells (12) in a cell compartment (22), wherein the battery cells (12) comprise a vent side (14) with a vent outlet and a cooling side (16) opposite the vent side (14) and in thermal connection with a first side (18a) of a cooling plate (18), through which the vent side the battery cells (12) exit in case of a thermal runaway, the battery system (10) further comprising a guiding channel (32) formed between a second side (18b) of the cooling plate (18) opposite the first side (18a) and a channel wall (34) facing the second side (18b) of the cooling plate (18), and a passage (36) connecting the cell compartment (22) with the guiding channel (32).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery system which allows vented exhaust gas in the event of thermal runaway to be cooled before leaving the battery system. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a vehicle comprising the battery system. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, vehicles using electric power as a motive source to transport goods and people have been developed. Such an electric vehicle is a car driven by an electric motor using energy stored in a rechargeable battery. The electric vehicle can be powered by the battery only, or can be in the form of a hybrid vehicle powered by, for example, a gasoline generator. Furthermore, the vehicle can include a combination of an electric motor and a conventional internal combustion engine. Generally, an electric vehicle battery, EVB, or traction battery is a battery used to power the propulsion of a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Electric vehicle batteries are different from starter batteries, lighting batteries, and ignition batteries in that they are designed to give power for a sustained period of time. A rechargeable battery or secondary battery is different from a primary battery in that it can be repeatedly charged and discharged, while the latter provides only an irreversible conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy. Low-capacity rechargeable batteries are used as power sources for small electronic devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, and camcorders, while high-capacity rechargeable batteries are used as power sources for electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles, etc.

[0003] Generally, a rechargeable battery includes an electrode assembly including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, a case accommodating the electrode assembly, and an electrode terminal electrically connected to the electrode assembly. An electrolyte solution is injected into the case so as to enable charging and discharging of the battery by electrochemical reactions of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and the electrolyte solution. The shape of the case, for example, a cylindrical or rectangular shape, depends on the intended use of the battery. Lithium-ion (and similar lithium polymer) batteries, which are well known by their use in notebook computers and consumer electronics, dominate in the latest developed electric vehicles.

[0004] The rechargeable battery can be used as a battery module formed of a plurality of unit battery cells coupled in series and / or in parallel, thereby providing a high energy content, particularly for motor driving of a hybrid vehicle. That is, the battery module is formed by interconnecting electrode terminals of a plurality of unit battery cells according to a required amount of electricity, so as to realize a high-power rechargeable battery.

[0005] Battery modules can be constructed in a block design or a modular design. In a block design, each battery is coupled to a common current collector structure and a common battery management system, and its unit is arranged in a housing. In a modular design, multiple battery cells are connected to form a sub-module, and several sub-modules are connected to form a battery module. In automotive applications, a battery system is typically composed of multiple battery modules connected in series for providing a desired voltage. Among others, a battery module can include sub-modules with multiple stacks of battery cells, each stack including parallel coupled series connected cells (XpYs) or series connected parallel connected cells (XsYp).

[0006] A battery pack is a group of any number, preferably the same, of battery modules. They can be configured in series, in parallel, or in a mix of series and parallel to deliver the required voltage, capacity, or energy density. The components of a battery pack include individual battery modules and interconnections that provide electrical conductivity between them.

[0007] Despite any modular structure, battery systems according to the prior art typically include a battery housing that serves as an enclosure to seal the battery system from the environment and provides structural protection of the components of the battery system. The contained battery system is typically installed as a whole in their application environment, e.g. an electric vehicle.

[0008] To provide thermal control to the battery cells packed inside the battery housing, a thermal management system can be used to effectively dissipate, release, and / or dissipate the heat generated inside the battery housing. Under certain conditions of the battery cells, an increase in the internal temperature can cause abnormal reactions to occur in the battery cells. An example of such abnormal operating conditions is thermal runaway in the battery cells, which can be entered by a strongly overheated or overcharged cell. Thermal runaway is a self-accelerating chemical reaction inside the battery cell, which generates a large amount of heat and exhaust gases until almost all available materials are depleted. The exhausted materials, i.e. the exhaust products, can include hot and toxic exhaust gases and potentially conductive solid materials such as graphite powder and metal fragments.

[0009] The temperature of the exhaust products, in particular the temperature of the exhaust gases, can reach temperatures of 1000 °C or more, in particular when several battery cells experience thermal runaway at the same time or within a short time. The temperature of the exhaust products is typically still very high when leaving the battery system through a system exhaust element into the environment. This poses a danger to bystanders, as the hot exhaust products can cause burns and can ignite, causing a fire.

[0010] Prior art venting concepts of battery systems are to let thermal venting products of a battery cell in a condition of thermal runaway expand into the battery housing and let the thermal venting products leave the battery system through a system venting element into the environment of the battery housing. The pressure inside the battery system can be kept within a safe range as the venting products escape the battery system. The system venting element can be dimensioned, for example, according to ISO 4126-6.

[0011] From DE 10 2017 212 223 A1 a battery system is known, in which case of thermal runaway the venting products leave the battery cell at the bottom directly into a channel through a cooling plate, wherein a cooling fluid is inserted into the battery cell via the cooling plate.

[0012] It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to overcome or reduce at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art and to provide a battery system which minimizes the risk of burns and fire, in particular in a simple and cost-effective manner. SUMMARY

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure seek to address at least one of the problems existing in the prior art, at least to some extent.

[0014] In particular, a battery system for a vehicle is provided, comprising a plurality of battery cells and a battery housing enclosing the plurality of battery cells in a cell chamber. The battery cells comprise a venting side with a venting outlet through which venting products leave the battery cell in case of thermal runaway and a cooling side opposite to the venting side, the cooling side being in thermal connection with a first side of a cooling plate. The battery system further comprises a guiding channel formed between a second side of the cooling plate opposite to the first side and a channel wall facing the second side of the cooling plate, and a passage connecting the cell chamber with the guiding channel. The battery system is adapted such that in case of thermal runaway, venting products leaving the battery cell at the venting side into the cell chamber are guided along a venting path from the cell chamber through the passage into the guiding channel, through the guiding channel and via a system outlet to the environment of the battery system.

[0015] The battery housing encloses the battery cells. As explained above, the battery cells can be arranged to form a module. The battery cells comprise a discharge side at one end, which can be considered as the upper side of the battery cells in a mounting arrangement of the battery system in an electric vehicle. At the other end, the battery cells comprise a cooling side, which can be the lower side of the battery cells in said mounting arrangement. The battery cells are in thermal contact with the cooling plate via the cooling side, thereby transferring the excess thermal energy to the cooling plate. The cooling side of the battery cells can be in direct or indirect contact with the first side of the cooling plate. On the second side of the cooling plate, opposite the first side, a guiding channel is arranged. In other words, on one side of the cooling plate, a cell chamber comprising the battery cells is arranged, and on the other side of the cooling plate, a guiding channel is arranged. The cooling plate delimits the cell chamber from the guiding channel. However, according to the present invention, a passage connecting the cell chamber with the guiding channel is provided, so that the discharge product can enter the guiding channel from the cell chamber. The guiding channel can extend from the passage to a system outlet. Thus, the passage can be considered as an inlet of the guiding channel, and the system outlet can be considered as an outlet of the guiding channel. The system outlet can comprise an opening towards the outside of the battery system, preferably with a discharge valve.

[0016] With the battery system according to the present invention, the discharge product of a thermal runaway leaves the battery cells at the discharge side into the cell chamber, flows from the cell chamber along the discharge path through the passage into the guiding channel, and through at least a portion of the guiding channel to the environment of the battery system via the system outlet. Thus, the battery system of the present invention is designed so that the discharge product leaving the battery cells during a thermal runaway does not exit the battery system via the shortest path, but takes a detour. Relative to the battery system of the prior art, the discharge path the discharge product has to take from the battery cells to the environment of the battery system is longer, so that the discharge product can transfer more thermal energy to the inner parts of the battery system. In particular, a large amount of thermal energy is transferred from the discharge product to the cooling plate and the channel wall delimiting the guiding channel.

[0017] In particular, the discharge path is increased compared to the battery system of DE 10 2017 212 223 A1, because the discharge product does not exit the battery cells through the cooling plate, but enters the cell chamber, preferably towards the top cover of the battery housing, and via the passage into the guiding channel. In other words, the discharge product is expelled by the battery cells in a direction away from the cooling plate, in particular not directly through the cooling plate. Thus, the discharge path is increased compared to the battery system of DE 10 2017 212 223 A1. Furthermore, the battery system of the present invention does not require additional elements for cooling, in particular does not require the injection of cooling gas or fluid.

[0018] The proposed vent geometry leads to the vent products being sufficiently cooled before leaving the battery system towards the environment, thereby minimizing the risk of burns and fires. In particular, the vent products leaving the battery system of the present invention towards the environment are at a lower temperature than known battery systems. The arrangement of the discussed parts of the proposed battery system is easy to implement with almost no added cost relative to known designs.

[0019] The battery housing can also enclose the cooling plate and / or the guiding channel. The battery housing can comprise a top cover facing the vent side of the battery cells and a bottom cover opposite the top cover. The cell chamber can be delimited by the top cover and the first side of the cooling plate. The channel wall delimiting the guiding channel can be formed by the bottom cover of the battery housing. In particular, in the described mounting arrangement, the bottom cover can be part of the bottom of the battery housing. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the battery system is adapted such that in case of a thermal runaway, the vent products leave the battery cells towards the top cover of the housing facing the vent side, thus flowing into the cell chamber. Furthermore, according to this preferred embodiment, the vent products are guided along the venting path from the cell chamber through the passage into the guiding channel (thus leaving the cell chamber) and along the cooling plate and the bottom cover / underbody through at least a portion of the guiding channel to the environment of the battery system, the guiding channel being arranged on the other side of the battery cells below the cooling plate. In other words, in case of a thermal runaway, the vent products, i.e. the vented gases and any particles they can contain, are discharged through the bottom of the battery in order to cool the vent products and allow a safe discharge into the environment of the battery system.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the passage is arranged at one end of the cooling plate and the system outlet is arranged at the other end of the cooling plate, such that the guiding channel extends from said one end of the cooling plate to the other end of the cooling plate. Thus, the guiding channel extending from the passage to the system outlet extends along the entire length of the cooling plate, i.e. along the entire second side of the cooling plate. The venting path is thus particularly long, such that a larger amount of thermal energy of the vent products can be transferred to the cooling plate and the channel wall forming the guiding channel. This leads to the vent products being further cooled before leaving the battery system, thus further improving safety. The passage can lead from the cell chamber to the guiding channel through one end of the cooling plate. In particular, the passage can be arranged between one end of the cooling plate and a side wall member of the battery housing facing said end of the cooling plate. However, in another embodiment, the passage can be formed as a through-hole in the cooling plate. Preferably, the passage is the only connection between the cell chamber and the guiding channel, allowing the vent products to enter the guiding channel from the cell chamber. This ensures that the vent products can only take the predetermined venting path via the passage through the guiding channel.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the system outlet is arranged in a side wall member of the battery housing. The side wall member can connect a bottom cover and a top cover of the battery housing and can bound the cell compartment and / or the guiding channel to the side. The outlet channel can be arranged inside the side wall member, wherein the side wall member can comprise a hole connecting the guiding channel with the outlet channel. In particular, the battery housing can comprise a first side wall member and a second side wall member opposite the first side wall member. More specifically, the battery housing can comprise a first side wall member connecting the bottom cover and the top cover of the battery housing at one end and a second side wall member connecting the bottom cover and the top cover of the battery housing at the other end. The top cover, the bottom cover and the first and second side wall members can enclose the cell compartment and / or the guiding channel. The system outlet can be arranged in one of the first and second side wall members. In particular, the system outlet can be arranged in said one of the first and second side wall members resulting in the longest discharge path. For example, the passage can be arranged at or near the first side wall member and the system outlet in the second side wall member. This arrangement results in a particularly long guiding channel and thus in a long discharge path and a better cooling of the discharge products.

[0022] According to another embodiment, the system outlet is arranged in the channel wall. Thus, in contrast to arranging the system outlet in a side wall member, the system outlet can be arranged directly in the channel wall. In particular, in this case, the channel wall can be formed by the bottom cover or the bottom of the battery housing. The discharge products then exit the battery system downwards with respect to the installation position in the direction towards the ground on which the vehicle is parked or drives. Thus, the discharge process is particularly safe for bystanders, as it is not possible to bring any bystander into contact with the discharge products, even though their temperature is still relatively high when exiting the system outlet into the vehicle environment. Despite being arranged in the channel wall, the system outlet is preferably as far away from the passage, i.e. the inlet of the guiding channel, as possible. As explained above, the longer the guiding channel, the more the discharge products are able to cool down by transferring thermal energy to the channel wall and the cooling plate. Thus, the passage can be arranged near one end of the cooling plate and the system outlet can be arranged in the channel wall near the other end of the cooling plate. The system outlet can be arranged in the channel wall near a side wall member of the battery housing. In particular, the passage can be arranged near a first side wall member and the system outlet near a second side wall member opposite the first side wall member.

[0023] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle comprising a battery module as defined above is provided. The battery system is preferably integrated into the bottom structure of the vehicle, which allows the battery system to have a substantially flat shape. The vehicle is advantageous in that the discharge products exiting the battery system towards the vehicle environment in case of a thermal runaway are cooled down substantially. Thereby, any danger to bystanders is reduced or prevented.

[0024] Further aspects of the present disclosure can be gathered from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail by referring to the attached drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic side view of a battery system according to an embodiment is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Reference will now be made in detail embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The effects and features of exemplary embodiments and methods of achieving the same will be described by referring to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings, and redundant descriptions are omitted. However, the disclosure can be embodied in various forms, and should not be construed as being limited to only the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the aspects and features of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0028] Therefore, for those skilled in the art, in order to fully understand the aspects and features of the disclosure, processes, elements and techniques that are considered unnecessary can not be described. In the drawings, the relative sizes of elements, layers, and regions can be exaggerated for the sake of clarity.

[0029] As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. In addition, when describing embodiments of the disclosure, the use of "may" means "one or more embodiments of the disclosure." In the following description of embodiments of the disclosure, singular forms of terms can include plural forms, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0030] It will be understood that, although the terms "first" and "second" are used to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be named a second element, and similarly, a second element can be named a first element, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. An expression such as "at least one of," preceding a list of elements, modifies the entire list of elements and does not modify the individual elements of the list.

[0031] As used herein, the terms "substantially," "approximately," and similar terms are used as terms of approximation, not as terms of degree, and are intended to account for the inherent deviations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. Furthermore, if the term "substantially" is used in combination with a feature that can be expressed using a numerical value, the term "substantially" means a range of + / - 5% of the value centered on the value.

[0032] It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," or "includes" and / or "including" when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, regions, integers, steps, processes, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, processes, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0033] It will be also understood that when a component is referred to as being "on" or "above" another component, it can be directly on the other component or intervening components can also be present.

[0034] Here, the terms "top" and "bottom" are defined according to the z-axis. For example, the top cover is located at the upper portion of the z-axis, and the bottom cover is located at the lower portion thereof. In the drawings, the size of the components can be exaggerated for clarity. For example, in the drawings, the size or thickness of each component can be arbitrarily shown for the purpose of illustration, and thus the embodiments of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited thereto.

[0035] In the following description of embodiments of the present disclosure, the singular form of the terms can include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0036] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and / or the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0037] The drawings show an embodiment of a battery system 10 for an electric vehicle according to the present disclosure, comprising a plurality of battery cells 12 and a battery housing 20. For better readability, not all battery cells 12 are labeled with reference numerals in the figures. The battery cells 12 are arranged in a row and can form one or more battery modules. The battery cells 12 comprise a discharge side 14 at a first end, which can be regarded as an upper side, and a cooling side 16 at a second end opposite the discharge side 14, which can be regarded as a lower side. The discharge side 14 comprises a discharge outlet (not shown) through which discharge products, including discharge gases and / or particles, can exit the battery cell 12 in case of a thermal runaway. The cooling side 16 is arranged on top of a cooling plate 18 and is in thermal connection with the cooling plate 18, the cooling side 16 of the battery cell facing a first side 18a of the cooling plate 18.

[0038] The battery housing 20 comprises a top cover 24, a bottom cover 26 opposite the top cover 24, and a first side wall member 28 and a second side wall member 30 connecting the bottom cover 26 and the top cover 24 of the battery housing 20. The battery housing 20 with its top cover 24, bottom cover 26, and first and second side wall members 28, 30 forms an enclosure in which the battery cells 12 are arranged together with the cooling plate 18. Thus, the battery housing 20 together with the cooling plate 18 encloses the plurality of battery cells 12 in a cell chamber 22, which can be seen as an upper chamber in the figures. The battery system 10 further comprises a guiding channel 32 formed between a second side 18b of the cooling plate 18 arranged opposite the first side 18a and a channel wall 34 facing the second side 18b of the cooling plate 18, and which can be seen as a lower chamber. The channel wall 34 is part of the bottom cover 26, which in this embodiment forms an underbody of the battery housing. In other words, the battery cells 12 are arranged on top of the cooling plate 18, while the guiding channel 32 is arranged below the cooling plate 18. The cooling plate 18 is connected to the second side wall member 30 at its left side end and extends from the second side wall member 30 towards the first side wall member 28, wherein a passage 36 is arranged between the right side end of the cooling plate 18 and the first side wall member 28 facing said right side end of the cooling plate 18. The passage 36 connects the cell chamber 22 with the guiding channel 32.

[0039] Thus, the cooling plate 18 divides the enclosure formed by the battery housing 20 into two chambers, the cell chamber 22 above the cooling plate 18 as an upper chamber to house the battery cells, and the guiding channel 32 as a lower chamber below the cooling plate 18. The passage 36 is the only connection between the cell chamber 22 and the guiding channel 32, which allows the exhaust products to exit the battery cells 12 to pass through the guiding channel 32. Due to this arrangement, the exhaust products exiting the battery cells 12 in the discharge side 14 into the cell chamber 22 towards the top cover 24 are guided along an exhaust path V from the cell chamber 22 through the passage 36 into the guiding channel 32, through the guiding channel 32 to the environment 40 of the battery system 10 via the system outlet 38.

[0040] In this embodiment, the top cover 24, the bottom cover 26, and the first and second side wall members 28, 30 are designed as a double profile structure, which comprises an inner wall facing the interior of the battery system and an outer wall opposite the inner wall and facing the exterior of the battery system. This profile structure provides structural stiffness to the battery housing. For example, the channel wall 34 can be considered as the inner wall of the bottom cover 26. The second side wall member 30 comprises an inner wall 30a facing the cell compartment 22 and the guiding channel 32 and an opposite outer wall 30b, wherein the outlet channel 39 is arranged inside the second side wall member 30 delimited by the inner wall 30a and the outer wall 30b. The hole 300a is arranged in the lower part of the inner wall 30a. Thus, the guiding channel 32 and the outlet channel 39 are connected to each other via the hole 300a. The system outlet 38 is arranged in the outer wall 30b of the second side wall member 30. The system outlet 38 can comprise a discharge element, such as a discharge valve. However, the top cover, the bottom cover, and the first and second side wall members do not necessarily need to be a double profile structure. Instead, one or more, in particular all, of these elements can be a metal sheet or an extruded profile. Generally, the top cover, the bottom cover, and the first and second side wall members can be selected in any combination from the group consisting of a double profile structure, an extruded profile, a metal sheet. For example, the top cover and the bottom cover can be a metal sheet, while the first and second side wall members are a double profile structure or an extruded profile.

[0041] In a conventional battery system design, the system outlet would be arranged in, for example, the first side wall member 28, such that in case of a thermal runaway, the discharge products, in particular the discharge gases, leaving one or more of the battery cells 12 would exit the battery system 10 via the dashed line D seen in the figure. These discharge products would exit the battery system at possibly very high temperatures, in particular when multiple cells discharge at the same time or within a short time. The hot discharge products would pose a danger to bystanders as they would cause burns. Furthermore, the discharge products could ignite due to the high temperatures.

[0042] However, with the battery system design of the present application, the discharge products leaving the battery cells during a thermal runaway do not exit the battery system via such a short path, but take a detour. As described above, the discharge products are guided along the discharge path V from the cell compartment 22 through the passage 36 into the guiding channel 32, through the guiding channel 32 and via the system outlet 38 at the second side wall member 30 to the environment 40 of the battery system. In other words, the discharge products flow from the cell compartment 22 via the passage 36 into the guiding channel 32 towards the floor of the battery system 10 below the cooling plate 18. The discharge products then flow along the guiding channel 32 between the cooling plate 18 and the bottom cover 26 and its channel wall 34 as a floor or floor protection and into the outlet channel 39 as a hollow profile of the second side wall member 30 and through the system outlet 38 to the outside of the battery system 10.

[0043] With respect to prior art battery systems, the discharge products have to take a longer discharge path from the battery cells to the environment of the battery system, so that the discharge products can transfer more thermal energy to the inner parts of the battery system. In particular, a large amount of thermal energy is transferred from the discharge products to the cooling plates and channel walls that bound the guiding channels. Thus, the proposed discharge geometry leads to a sufficient cooling of the discharge products before they leave the battery system towards the environment, thereby minimizing the risk of burns and combustion of the gas outside when it comes into contact with oxygen. In particular, the discharge products leaving the battery system of the present invention towards the environment are at a lower temperature than in known battery systems. The arrangement of the discussed parts of the proposed battery system is easy to realize with almost no added costs with respect to known designs.

[0044] The discharge path of the battery system as shown is particularly long, because the guiding channels extend all the way from the first side wall member 28 to the second side wall member 30 along the entire length of the cooling plates 18, in other words from one end of the cooling plates 18 to the other end of the cooling plates 18. Thus, the discharge products can transfer a large amount of thermal energy to the cooling plates 18 and / or the channel walls 34, leading to a significant cooling of the discharge products. However, the system outlet can be arranged elsewhere, for example in the bottom cover 26. The discharge products then exit the battery system by going down through the bottom. The point is that the discharge products have to go through a large volume between the channel walls 34 of the bottom cover 26 and the cooling plates 18.

[0045] Reference signs

[0046] 10 battery system

[0047] 12 battery cell

[0048] 14 discharge side of the battery cell

[0049] 16 cooling side of the battery cell

[0050] 18 cooling plate

[0051] 18a first side of the cooling plate

[0052] 18b second side of the cooling plate

[0053] 20 battery housing

[0054] 22 cell compartment

[0055] 24 top cover

[0056] 26 bottom cover

[0057] 28 first side wall member

[0058] 30 second side wall member

[0059] 30a inner wall of the second side wall member

[0060] 30b outer wall of second side wall member

[0061] 32 guide channel

[0062] 34 channel wall

[0063] 36 passage

[0064] 38 system outlet

[0065] 39 outlet channel

[0066] D dashed line

[0067] V discharge path

Claims

1. A battery system (10), comprising: a plurality of battery cells (12) and a battery housing (20) enclosing the battery cells (12) in a cell chamber (22), wherein the battery cells (12) comprise a vent side (14) having a vent outlet through which a vent product exits the battery cell in case of thermal runaway, and a cooling side (16) opposite the vent side (14) and thermally connected to a first side (18a) of a cooling plate (18); and a guiding channel (32) formed between a second side (18b) of the cooling plate (18) opposite the first side (18a) and a channel wall (34) facing the second side (18b) of the cooling plate (18), and a passage (36) connecting the cell chamber (22) with the guiding channel (32), wherein the battery system (10) is adapted such that, in case of thermal runaway, the vent product exiting the battery cells (12) into the cell chamber (22) at the vent side (14) is guided along a venting path (V) from the cell chamber (22) through the passage (36) into the guiding channel (32), through the guiding channel (32) and to an environment (40) of the battery system (10) via a system outlet (38), wherein the guiding channel (32) is in direct contact with the cooling plate (18).

2. The battery system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the passage (36) is arranged at one end of the cooling plate (18) and the system outlet (38) is arranged at an opposite end of the cooling plate (18) such that the guiding channel (32) extends from the one end of the cooling plate (18) to the opposite end of the cooling plate (18).

3. The battery system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the system outlet (38) is arranged in a side wall member (30) of the battery housing (20).

4. The battery system (10) according to claim 3, wherein the battery housing (20) comprises a first side wall member (28) and a second side wall member (30) opposite the first side wall member (28), wherein the passage (36) is arranged at or near the first side wall member (28) and the system outlet (38) is arranged in the second side wall member (30).

5. The battery system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the system outlet (38) is arranged in the channel wall (34).

6. The battery system (10) according to claim 1, wherein the battery housing (20) comprises a top cover (24) facing the vent side (14) of the battery cells (12), wherein the cell chamber (22) is bounded by the top cover (24) and the first side (18a) of the cooling plate (18).

7. The battery system (10) according to claim 6, wherein the battery housing (20) comprises a bottom cover (26) opposite the top cover (24) and forming the channel wall (34).

8. The battery system (10) of claim 7, wherein the bottom cover (26) is part of a floor of the battery housing (20).

9. An electric vehicle comprising a battery system (10) according to any of the preceding claims.

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