Vehicle battery enclosure

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to a vehicle battery enclosure, vehicle battery assembly and vehicle. A vehicle battery enclosure is provided, comprising: a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies, the battery subassemblies each comprising a plurality of cells, the housing comprising at least one dividing wall defining a plurality of receiving portions for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies, one or more of the at least one dividing wall defining an internal cavity within that dividing wall; and a thermal protection element arranged in the internal cavity, the thermal protection element for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion.

Description

[0001] VEHICLE BATTERY ENCLOSURE

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle battery enclosure. Aspects of the invention relate to a vehicle battery enclosure, vehicle battery assembly and vehicle.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] It is known to provide vehicle battery cells within battery enclosures, whereby the cells are arranged in subassemblies with each subassembly being divided by a dividing wall. Typically, the cells include vents that are arranged to rupture when the temperature and / or pressure inside the cell exceeds a threshold, which may arise during an undesirable battery event. Such undesirable battery events cause high energy to be released from the cell via its vent, leading to high temperatures and high pressures building up within the vehicle battery enclosure, for example as hot gases and particles.

[0006] It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In some vehicle battery enclosures in the art, a thermal pad may be placed on an external face of the dividing wall, which is adjacent to the battery subassemblies. The inventors have realised that there are problems with this arrangement however, as this risks the heat and particles from the exhausting battery cell (e.g. including molten contents of the cell) from rebounding within the subassembly and causing a thermal runaway within the battery subassembly.

[0009] Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a vehicle battery enclosure, a vehicle battery assembly and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims.

[0010] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle battery enclosure, comprising: a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies, the battery subassemblies each comprising a plurality of cells, the housing comprising at least one wall defining a plurality of receiving portions for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies, one or more of the at least one wall defining an internal cavity; and a thermally resistant material arranged in the internal cavity, the thermally resistant material for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle battery enclosure, comprising: a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies, the battery subassemblies each comprising a plurality of cells, the housing comprising at least one dividing wall defining a plurality of receiving portions for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies, one or more of the at least one dividing wall defining an internal cavity within that dividing wall; and a thermal protection element arranged in the internal cavity, the thermal protection element for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion.

[0012] Advantageously, the thermally resistant material / thermal protection element helps to improve thermal management of the vehicle battery enclosure, which may for example be relevant in undesirable battery events. This is achieved by allowing the side of the dividing wall facing the exhausting cell to become compromised in the event of an undesirable battery event, thereby allowing heat to dissipate out of the compromised subassembly, whilst also maintaining the structural integrity of the other side of the dividing wall that is adjacent a different subassembly to that including the exhausting cell, thereby reducing heat transfer receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion and thus from one battery subassembly to an adjacent battery subassembly.

[0013] Optionally, the thermal protection element is substantially enclosed within dividing wall. Optionally, the thermal protection element comprises at least one of silicon, steel, glass fibres, mica sheets. The thermal protection element may be formed of a single layer. The thermal protection element may be a composite multi-layer structure. Optionally, each battery subassembly comprises a battery array. Each battery in the battery subassembly may comprise a cell vent for exhausting cell materials in case of an undesirable battery event. Optionally, the subassembly includes battery stacks and battery modules. Here, battery modules include electronics components, such as controlling and sensing electronics.

[0014] Optionally, the dividing wall comprises aluminium. The dividing wall may be formed by extrusion or cast aluminium. The dividing wall may be a stringer. The dividing wall may define a plurality of internal cavities, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged in one or more of the plurality of internal cavities.

[0015] Optionally, the thermal protection element comprises a thermally resistant material. Optionally, the thermal protection element is an intumescent material. In doing so, this allows the dividing wall to melt to facilitate heat dissipation out of the subassembly including the exhausting cell, whilst the thermal resistance protects the adjacent subassembly from becoming exposed to the heat and particles exhausted by the venting cell in an undesirable battery event, thereby improving thermal management of the vehicle battery enclosure.

[0016] Optionally, the thermally resistant material has a melting point that is greater than a melting point of the dividing wall. The thermal protection element may have a melting point greater than 1200°C. The dividing wall may have a melting point greater than 600°C. In doing so, the thermal protection element is configured to maintain its structural integrity under high temperature conditions and be flame resistant for reducing heat transfer between battery subassemblies, so as to help thermal management particularly in undesirable battery events.

[0017] Optionally, the thermal protection element extends partially into the internal cavity. In doing so, manufacturing costs and ease may be improved by reducing the amount of material required for the thermal protection element. The thermal protection element may extend from the base of the dividing wall into the internal cavity. Optionally, the thermal protection element is dimensioned to have a height less than a height of the internal cavity.

[0018] Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to extend substantially from a top of the internal cavity to a bottom of the internal cavity. In doing so, the thermal protection element efficiently blocks emissions in use from a ruptured cell from causing an adjacent battery subassembly from undergoing an undesirable battery event. Optionally, the thermal protection element extends at least the full height of the internal cavity. Here, the full height is defined as the distance between the base and the top of the portion of the dividing wall defining the internal cavity. Optionally, the thermal protection element is dimensioned to the internal cavity within the dividing wall.

[0019] Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged in a substantially central portion within the dividing wall.

[0020] Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to be non-contiguous with at least one side of the dividing wall. Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged at a predetermined separation distance from the sides / inner faces of the dividing wall, so as not to be in contact with the dividing wall. By being distanced from the sides of the dividing wall, this allows for a larger area of the internal cavity for materials emitted by a venting cell to dissipate into, thereby reducing the emissions from rebounding and helping to more efficiently reduce the temperatures and pressures within the vehicle battery enclosure.

[0021] Optionally, the dividing wall includes heat dissipation means for dissipating heat from the internal cavity. In doing so, the heat dissipation means allows the hot gases that may arise in an undesirable battery subassembly event to dissipate out of the dividing wall into the sides of battery enclosure. This allows the gases to expand and cool whilst containing them within enclosure. Optionally, the heat dissipation means are configured to dissipate heat in a direction away from the plurality of battery subassemblies. In some examples, the heat dissipation means includes apertures and / or channels configured to provide a flow path for the cell emissions from inside to outside the dividing wall. The apertures and / or channels may be arranged at ends of dividing wall.

[0022] Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to extend diagonally across the internal cavity within the dividing wall. In doing so, slanting the thermal protection element helps to more equally distribute the volume of the internal cavity between the two sides of the dividing wall, such that half is on one side and half is on the other side. Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to extend in a first direction and at least one side of the internal cavity extends in a second direction, wherein the first direction is non-parallel to the second direction. Optionally, the thermal protection element includes a body and a stand supporting the body, wherein the body is arranged to extend from the stand at an acute angle.

[0023] Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to extend in a direction parallel to a direction defined by at least one side of the internal cavity within the dividing wall. In doing so, the thermal protection element may advantageously reduce heat transfer between adjacently arranged receiving portions. Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to extend in a first direction and at least one side of the internal cavity extends in a second direction, wherein the first direction is parallel to the second direction.

[0024] Optionally, the vehicle battery enclosure further comprises at least one of: couplers configured to couple the thermal protection element to the dividing wall; one or more retainers configured to support the thermal protection element within the internal cavity; and a stand configured to support the thermal protection element in the internal cavity within the dividing wall. In doing so, the thermal protection element may be stably supported within the dividing wall. Optionally, the one or more retainers are arranged to retain a position of the thermal protection element relative to the dividing wall. The one or more retainers may comprise foam. The thermal protection element may be arranged between foam retainers dimensioned to the volume of the internal cavity defined by the dividing wall. The couplers may include at least one of: fasteners, snap fits, clips and adhesive.

[0025] Optionally, the thermal protection element is flexible. In doing so, the thermal protection element may abut the base and top of the internal cavity so as to be supported by the dividing wall itself.

[0026] Optionally, the thermal protection element includes a bending resistant material. Advantageously, the thermal protection element is sufficiently stiff under high temperature and pressure conditions, such that during an undesirable battery event, the thermal protection element is arranged to be displaced without substantially bending. This means that when the venting receiving region of one side of the diving wall becomes compromised, the venting receiving region of the other side of the dividing wall is covered by the thermal protection element and its structural integrity is maintained. In doing so, the cell vents of the adjacent battery subassembly are protected from becoming ruptured and therefore reduces the risk of causing a thermal runaway in the adjacent battery subassembly.

[0027] The bending resistant material may be for resisting bending under temperature conditions of equal to or less than 1200°C. The bending resistant material may be for resisting bending under pressure conditions of equal to or less than 15 bar. The thermal protection element may have a flexural strength equal to or greater than 15 bar. The thermal protection element may comprise a material having a flexural strength that is greater than a flexural strength of the dividing wall. The thermal protection element may include an anti-blast coating with a tensile strength equal to or greater than 15 bar. In doing so, the thermal protection element is configured to maintain its structural integrity under high pressure conditions, and is for reducing pressure transfer from one battery subassembly to an adjacent battery subassembly. This helps to improve pressure management of the vehicle battery enclosure, particularly in undesirable battery events.

[0028] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle battery assembly comprising the vehicle battery enclosure described herein and a plurality of battery subassemblies, wherein the thermal protection element is for reducing heat transfer from one battery subassembly to an adjacent battery subassembly. Advantageously, the vehicle battery assembly therefore reduces the risk of undesirable battery events occurring in one battery subassembly from instigating an undesirable battery event in an adjacent battery subassembly.

[0029] Optionally, the dividing wall comprises a vent receiving region directly opposing a cell vent, wherein the thermal protection element is dimensioned to at least the dimensions of the vent receiving region. Advantageously, this helps to protect cell vents in a battery subassembly from an undesirable battery event occurring in an adjacent subassembly. This is because during an undesirable battery event, a cell vent of a cell is caused to rupture, exhausting materials (such as fluids, particles etc.) from the cell vent along a venting flow path in a direction substantially perpendicular to a face of the cell vent opposing the vent receiving region. As the thermal element is dimensioned to be at least the size of the vent receiving region, this means that the thermal protection element may sufficiently cover the other vent receiving region opposing the cell vents of the adjacent battery subassembly. Optionally, the dividing wall comprises a first vent receiving region and a second vent receiving region, the first vent receiving region directly opposing cell vents in a first battery subassembly and the second vent receiving region directly opposing cell vents in a second battery subassembly adjacent to the first battery subassembly, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged between the first vent receiving region and the second vent receiving region to intercept a venting flow path between a cell vent of the first battery subassembly and a cell vent of the second battery subassembly. Advantageously, this further helps to reduce heat transfer from a first battery subassembly to a second adjacent battery subassembly by protecting the cell vents of the adjacent battery subassembly in the event of an undesirable battery event occurring in the first battery subassembly. Optionally, the thermal protection element is arranged to cover the vent receiving region for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion.

[0030] According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising the vehicle battery enclosure described herein, or the vehicle battery assembly described herein.

[0031] According to still another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a vehicle battery enclosure is provided. The method comprises providing a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies. The housing comprises at least one dividing wall defining a plurality of receiving portions for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies. One or more of the at least one dividing wall defines an internal cavity within that dividing wall. The method further comprises arranging a thermal protection element in the internal cavity. The thermal protection element is for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion.

[0032] According to yet a further aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a vehicle battery assembly is provided comprising the method of manufacturing the vehicle battery enclosure as described herein and further comprising arranging a battery subassembly in the vehicle battery enclosure.

[0033] According to a still further aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a vehicle is provided comprising the method of manufacturing a vehicle battery assembly as described herein and further comprising attaching the vehicle battery assembly to a vehicle body.

[0034] Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and / or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and / or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and / or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and / or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

[0035] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] One or more embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a perspective representation of a vehicle according to embodiments of the invention.

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a top view of an opened vehicle battery enclosure according to embodiments of the invention.

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a perspective representation of a cell according to embodiments of the invention.

[0040] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional side view of a vehicle battery assembly according to embodiments of the invention.

[0041] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional side view of another vehicle battery assembly according to embodiments of the invention.

[0042] FIG. 6A shows a perspective cross-sectional representation of another vehicle battery enclosure according to embodiments of the invention.

[0043] FIG. 6B shows a perspective cross-sectional view of a dividing wall in the vehicle battery enclosure of FIG. 6A. FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of a thermal protection element according to embodiments of the invention.

[0044] FIG. 7B shows a side view of the thermal protection element of FIG. 7A.

[0045] FIG. 8A shows a perspective cross-sectional view of a dividing wall in a further vehicle battery enclosure according to embodiments of the invention.

[0046] FIG. 8B shows a perspective view of a thermal protection element in the dividing wall of FIG. 8A.

[0047] FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of a method of forming a vehicle battery enclosure according to embodiments of the invention.

[0048] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 100 according to embodiments of the invention. The vehicle 100 may be any suitable vehicle adapted to be powered by a battery. For example, the vehicle 100 may be, although not limited to, a battery electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, or a mild hybrid vehicle.

[0050] The vehicle 100 includes a vehicle battery assembly 102, which may be attached to a vehicle body by suitable means in the art. Here, “body” may mean a monocoque which can have body panels attached thereto. The vehicle battery assembly 102 may be a primary or secondary energy source for vehicle propulsion.

[0051] The vehicle battery assembly 102 includes a vehicle battery enclosure and a plurality of cells arranged in battery subassemblies within the vehicle battery enclosure. Battery subassemblies include but are not limited to battery stacks and battery modules.

[0052] Typically, battery modules are arranged using Cell-to-Module (CTM) methods, where the cells are first configured into battery modules corresponding to small modular groups and then assembled together to provide a battery pack. In such CTM methods, battery modules include electronics components, such as for controlling and sensing various aspects of the cells (e.g. temperature of the cells).

[0053] Typically, battery stacks are arranged in Cell-to-Pack methods, where the cells are arranged together directly into a larger stack (without any modular grouping) to provide a battery pack, and do not include the electronics components of CTM batteries.

[0054] FIG. 2 shows a top view of an opened vehicle battery enclosure 200 in accordance with embodiments of the invention, which is an example of a vehicle battery enclosure included in the vehicle battery assembly 102 in FIG. 1 . In particular, one or more battery subassemblies can be introduced into the vehicle battery enclosure 200 to provide a vehicle battery assembly, such as the vehicle battery assembly 102 in FIG. 1 .

[0055] The vehicle battery enclosure 200 includes a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies. In the present embodiment, the housing includes a frame 202 and dividing walls 204. The frame 202 includes side walls defining the external outwardly facing sides of the housing, a fray defining the bottom of the housing and a lid (not shown) defining the top of the housing, so as to define an internal cavity enclosed by the frame 202. It is noted that FIG. 2 is a top view of the vehicle battery enclosure 200 as viewed opened with the lid removed for illustrative purposes. The dividing walls 204 are arranged within the internal cavity enclosed by the frame 202 and protrude from the fray of the housing. The dividing walls 204 define a plurality of receiving portions 206 for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies, whereby the tray defines the bottom of the receiving portions. The receiving portions 206 are dimensioned to accommodate battery subassemblies, such that the housing may be for enclosing one or more battery subassemblies. In the present embodiment, the dividing walls 204 are distributed evenly across the housing. It will be appreciated that whilst FIG. 2 shows there to be four dividing walls 204 defining five receiving portions 206, the disclosure is not limited to this, as the housing may include two or more dividing walls in other embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the dividing walls 204 may be arranged in any suitable manner for defining the receiving portions 206. For example taking the sides 202 of the housing as defining a front, rear and left and right of the vehicle battery enclosure where FIG. 2 shows the dividing walls 204 arranged parallel to the left and right sides and perpendicular to the front and rear of the sides 202, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the dividing walls 204 may rather be arranged in a perpendicular orientation so as to rather be arranged parallel to the front and rear and perpendicular to the left and right of the sides 202. The housing may be formed by any suitable technique, such as pressing or casting aluminium to form the frame 202 and dividing walls 204, which may be formed integrally together. In some embodiments, one or more components of the frame 202 (fray, lid and side walls) and the dividing walls 204 may be formed separately and connected together to provide the housing (e.g. by welding or bonding). For example, the dividing walls 204 may be formed by extrusion.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows a cell 300 according to embodiments of the invention, which is an example of a cell included in a plurality of cells providing the one or more battery subassemblies described herein. The cell 300 includes a cathode, an anode and a cell vent 302. The cell vent 302 is for exhausting materials including particles and fluids, such as gases and molten contents, from inside the cell 300 to outside the cell 300. Typically, the cell vent 302 ruptures when the internal temperature and / or pressure within the cell 300 exceeds a predetermined threshold. This is particularly relevant in the case of undesirable battery events resulting in the emission of high temperatures and pressures. It will be appreciated that during such undesirable battery events, emissions are typically exhausted as a high energy blast from the cell vent over a short duration of up to approximately 30 seconds. For illustrative purposes, venting direction 304 indicates a direction of emission from the cell 300 when the cell vent 302 ruptures during an undesirable battery event. As shown in FIG. 3, the venting direction 304 is substantially perpendicular to the plane of an outwardly face of the cell vent 302, where the plane of the outwardly face of the cell vent 302 may be considered as being aligned with the side of the cell 300 containing the outwardly face of the cell vent 302.

[0057] The cell 300 in the present embodiment is a prismatic cell as shown in FIG. 3, but it will be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to this and the cell may be any suitable cell that incorporates a cell vent within the cell for powering a vehicle, such as the vehicle 100 in FIG. 1.

[0058] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional side view of a vehicle battery assembly 400 according to embodiments of the invention, which may provide the vehicle battery assembly 102 attached to the vehicle 100 in FIG. 1 . The vehicle battery assembly 400 includes a vehicle battery enclosure and a plurality of battery subassemblies.

[0059] The vehicle battery enclosure includes a housing for receiving the plurality of battery subassemblies. The battery subassemblies each include a plurality of cells, which may each be cells 300 as described in relation to FIG. 3. In particular, the plurality of battery subassemblies includes a first battery subassembly including cell 402 and a second battery subassembly adjacent to the first battery subassembly including cell 404. The housing includes at least one dividing wall 406 defining a plurality of receiving portions 408, 410 for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies. One or more of the at least one dividing wall 406 defines an internal cavity 412 within that dividing wall 406. The vehicle battery enclosure includes a thermal protection element 414 arranged in the internal cavity 412. The thermal protection element 414 is for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion 408 to an adjacent receiving portion 410.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the housing includes a lid 420, tray 422, outwardly facing side walls (not shown), which may each be substantially as described in relation to FIG. 2. FIG. 4 particularly shows a close-up view of one of the dividing walls 406 between a cell 402 of a first battery subassembly and a cell 404 of a second battery subassembly adjacent to the first battery subassembly. The first battery subassembly is arranged in a first receiving portion 408 and the second battery subassembly is arranged in a second receiving portion 410. The cells 402, 404 each include respective cell vents 416, 418.

[0061] The dividing wall 406 includes a first side 424 and a second side 426 opposing the first side 424, whereby the internal cavity 412 is defined between and enclosed by the first side 424, the second side 426, a top and base of the dividing wall 406. In the present embodiment, the top of the dividing wall 406 is provided by the lid 420 of the housing and the base of the dividing wall 406 is provided by the fray 422 of the housing, although it will be appreciated that in embodiments where the dividing wall is formed by extrusion separately from the frame of the housing, the dividing wall may rather provide the base and / or top of the dividing wall rather than the respective fray and lid of the housing.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 4, the cells 402, 404 are arranged such that the cell vent 416 of cell 402 is adjacent the first side 424 of the dividing wall 406 and the cell vent 418 of cell 404 is adjacent the second side 426 of the dividing wall 406. In particular, inner faces of the first side 424 and second side 426 of the dividing wall 406 thus face the internal cavity 412, whilst outer faces of the first side 424 and second side 426 of the dividing wall 406 face the receiving portions 408, 410. The first side 424 of the dividing wall 406 defines a first vent receiving region 428 directly opposing the cell vent 416 of the cell 402. The second side 426 of the dividing wall 406 also defines a second vent receiving region 430 directly opposing the cell vent 418 of the cell 404. Here, the vent receiving regions 428, 430 are regions of the dividing wall 406 facing the cell vents 416, 418 so as to be arranged in the venting flow paths 434, 436 of the cell vents 416, 418. It will be appreciated that other regions of the first and second sides 424, 426 may also be exposed to emissions exhausted from the cell vents 416, 418, but the vent receiving regions 428, 430 directly oppose the respective cell vents 416, 418 in the vehicle battery assembly. In practice, the vent receiving regions 428, 430 are exposed to the materials emitted from the cells 402, 404 during an undesirable battery event. As explained in relation to FIG. 3, the venting direction 304 is perpendicular to the plane of the outwardly face of the cell vent 302. As such, the venting flow paths 434, 436 shown in FIG. 4 originate from the respective cell vents 416, 418. In practice, a cell undergoing an undesirable battery event will cause its cell vent to rupture, which in turn may compromise the corresponding vent receiving region of the dividing wall that directly opposes the ruptured cell vent, whereby such compromising may include the vent receiving region burning therethrough to form a hole that exposes the internal cavity to the receiving portion containing the venting cell. It will be appreciated that the vent receiving region corresponding to the ruptured cell vent may also be considered compromised even when the emissions do not burn a hole therethrough . For example, the undesirable battery event may cause emissions to be blasted with high energy from the cell vent, whereby the energy released crosses the vent receiving region into the internal cavity of the dividing wall before any phase change of the vent receiving region has occurred.

[0063] As applied to FIG. 4 for example, if the cell vent 416 ruptures, the emissions from the cell 402 may cause the first vent receiving region 428 to become compromised, such that the cell 402 and receiving portion 408 become exposed to the internal cavity 412 in the dividing wall 406. Similarly, if the cell vent 418 ruptures, the emissions from the cell 404 may cause the first second vent receiving region 430 to become compromised and expose the cell 404 and receiving portion 410 to the internal cavity 412 in the dividing wall 406. By allowing the vent receiving region to become compromised, any emissions from a venting cell may be exhausted into the internal cavity of the dividing wall, which beneficially helps to dissipate heat and pressure from the venting cell away the receiving portion containing the venting cell and into the dividing wall, by contrast to cases where the dividing wall may not be compromised where emissions may rebound within the receiving portion containing the venting cell. In doing so, this may help to reduce the risk of thermal runaways and the impact of undesirable battery events upon the battery subassembly containing the ruptured venting cell.

[0064] In the present embodiment, the dividing wall 406 is formed of aluminium, but it will be appreciated however that the dividing wall may comprise any suitable material arranged to become compromised (e.g. burnt or blasted through) when exposed to the emissions from a venting cell in an undesirable battery event, and the material properties will depend on the specific design of the vehicle battery enclosure. For example, the dividing wall may be designed to have properties (e.g. thickness of its sides 424, 426 (here the thickness is the dimension between the outer face of the sides 424, 426 facing the respective cells 402, 404 and the inner face of the sides 424, 426 facing the internal cavity 412), melting point, tensile strength, flexural strength, etc.) arranged to become compromised as described herein. In some examples of the disclosure, the material of the dividing wall may have at least one of a melting point above 500°C, a melting point below 1200°C, and a flexural strength of less than 10 bar. It will be appreciated that the rest of the housing (such as the frame, lid, tray, side walls) may be formed of the same material as the dividing wall.

[0065] The dividing wall 406 further includes heat dissipation means for dissipating heat from the internal cavity 412 into the vehicle battery enclosure so as to help reduce heat and / or pressure from building up within the dividing wall 406 in a direction away from the plurality of battery subassemblies by allowing any emissions from a venting cell to escape into other parts of the vehicle battery enclosure, such that the gases may expand and cool whilst containing them within vehicle battery enclosure. In the present embodiment, the ends of the dividing wall 406 include channels and / or apertures (not shown) to provide a flow path for the emissions from inside the dividing wall 406 to the outwardly facing side walls of the vehicle battery enclosure (e.g. the sides of the frame 202 shown in FIG. 2).

[0066] The thermal protection element 414 is arranged between the first side 424 of the dividing wall 406 and the second side 426 of the dividing wall 406, so as to be arranged within the internal cavity 412 of the dividing wall 406. The thermal protection element 414 may also be considered to be arranged between the cell vents 416, 418 and also as being arranged between the vent receiving regions 428, 430. In doing so, thermal protection element 414 is arranged in the venting flow paths 434, 436 of both cells 402, 404, so as to intercept or block cell emission materials (e.g. fluids and particles) traversing the venting flow paths 434, 436 from reaching the other respective cell vent 416, 418. More particularly, the thermal protection element 414 is positioned to block cell emissions traversing the first venting flow path 434 from the first cell vent 416 from reaching the second cell vent 418, and also to block cell emissions traversing the second venting flow path 434 from the second cell vent 418 from reaching the first cell vent 416. In doing so, the thermal protection element 414 effectively acts as a separator between the vent receiving regions 428, 430 and also separating the cell vents 416, 418 along the respective venting flow paths 434, 436. Advantageously, this helps to protect cell vents in a battery subassembly from an undesirable battery event occurring in an adjacent subassembly. For example, if the cell 402 undergoes an undesirable battery event, its cell vent 416 ruptures, causing the first vent receiving region 428 to become compromised to expose the cell 402 to the internal cavity 412 as described above. The emissions from the cell 402 are in this case traversing the venting flow path 434, which in the absence of any thermal protection element would otherwise be on a trajectory to the second vent receiving region 430 and the cell vent 418 of the cell 404 of the adjacent battery subassembly, risking burning through the second vent receiving region 430 and subsequently risking rupturing the cell vent 418 to cause the cell 404 of the adjacent battery subassembly to undergo an undesirable battery event. However, with the thermal protection element 414 arranged in the venting flow path 434 from the cell vent 416, the materials emitted by the venting cell 402 are met by the thermal protection element 414, which intercepts and blocks the emissions from reaching the cell vent 418 of the cell 404, thereby reducing the risk of the undesirable battery event undergone by the cell 402 from instigating another undesirable battery event in the cell 404 (i.e. the cell in the adjacent battery subassembly accommodated in the adjacent receiving portion 410). Equal considerations apply to the case where the cell 404 undergoes an undesirable battery event as the thermal protection element 414 is arranged in the venting flow path 436 to reduce the risk of emissions from the cell 404 from compromising 428 and instigating an undesirable battery event in the cell 402 in the adjacent battery subassembly.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the thermal protection element 414 includes a thermally resistant material arranged to maintain its structural integrity when exposed to the emissions of an undesirable battery event. It will be appreciated that the thermally resistant material may be designed to have any suitable properties to carry this out and will depend on the design of the vehicle battery enclosure in practice. In particular, the thermal protection element 414 may be formed of a thermally resistant material designed to be at least one of incombustible, flame-retardant, non-flammable and resistant to particle blasts. For example, the material properties may include thickness, density, melting point, tensile strength, flexural strength, etc. to achieve this. In some examples of the disclosure, the thermally resistant material may have a melting point greater than the dividing wall 406. The thermal protection element 414 may for example have a melting point equal to or greater than 1200°C so as to maintain its structural integrity under high temperature conditions such as those typically found in undesirable battery events. The thermal protection element 414 may be formed of any suitable thermally resistant material, for example as one or more layers of at least one of an intumescent material, silicon, steel, glass fibres and mica sheets (e.g. as a single layer or multi-layer composite structure). As such, the thermal protection element 414 is arranged to maintain its structural integrity under high temperature conditions, which may arise when exposed to emissions from a venting cell during an undesirable battery event, thereby reducing heat transfer from one battery subassembly to an adjacent battery subassembly to improve heat management within the vehicle battery enclosure. For example, such thermal resistance means the thermal protection element 414 may be effectively flame resistant and may additionally be particle blast resistant. In practice, this allows the dividing wall 406 to melt to facilitate heat dissipation out of the battery subassembly including the venting cell into the dividing wall 406 (as described above), whilst the thermal protection element 414 protects the adjacent battery subassembly from becoming exposed to the emissions exhausted by the venting cell in an undesirable battery event, thereby improving thermal management of the vehicle battery enclosure.

[0068] In the present embodiment, the thermal protection element 414 is arranged in a substantially central portion within the dividing wall 406. The thermal protection element 414 is arranged to be non-contiguous with the first side 424 and second side 426 of the dividing wall 406 and more particularly non-contiguous with the first vent receiving region 428 and second vent receiving region 430. In doing so, the thermal protection element 414 is arranged at a predetermined separation distance from the first vent receiving region 428 and second vent receiving region 430 of the dividing wall 406, so as not to be in contact with the dividing wall 406. By being distanced from the first side 424 and second side 426 of the dividing wall 406, this allows for a larger volume of the internal cavity 412 for materials emitted by a venting cell to dissipate into, thereby reducing the risk of emissions from rebounding back into the receiving portion containing the venting cell and helping to more efficiently reduce the temperatures and pressures within the vehicle battery enclosure.

[0069] In the present embodiment, the thermal protection element 414 includes a material with a flexural strength equal to or greater than 15 bar, so as to be greater than a flexural strength of the dividing wall 406. This may be implemented by any suitable means, for example, the thermal protection element 414 may include an anti-blast coating with a flexural strength equal to or greater than 15 bar. In doing so, this means the thermal protection element 414 is formed with a sufficient stiffness for resisting bending under the temperature and pressure conditions typically found in undesirable battery events. In practice, if cell 402 is the venting cell, the exhausted emissions may compromise the first vent receiving region 428, not only by melting but also by blasting therethrough due to the pressure exhaustion from the cell vent 416 where the emissions are exhausted with high pressure out of the cell vent 416 along the venting flow path 434. As such, when cell emissions traversing the venting flow path 434 meet the thermal protection element 414, this may cause the thermal protection element 414 to be displaced and / or deformed in the venting direction. In practice, this means the thermal protection element 414 is displaced to intercept the venting flow path 434 to cover the second vent receiving region 430, thereby protecting the cell vent 418 from being exposed to the emissions. As such, the thermal protection element is sufficiently bending resistant under high temperature and pressure conditions, such that during an undesirable battery event, the thermal protection element is arranged to be displaced without substantially bending and still act to block emissions from reaching the second vent receiving region 430 to maintain its structural integrity. As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal protection element 414 is dimensioned to have a height equal to or greater than a height of the vent receiving regions, where the height corresponds to a dimension parallel in use to the direction extending perpendicularly from the tray to the lid. As the thermal element is dimensioned to be at least the size of the vent receiving region 428, 430, this means that the thermal protection element 414 may sufficiently cover the other vent receiving region (i.e. opposing the cell vent of the adjacent battery subassembly not undergoing an undesirable battery event).

[0070] As shown in FIG. 4, the thermal protection element 414 in the present embodiment includes a substantially planar body supported by a stand 432, which may be formed integrally. The planar body extends from the stand 432 into the internal cavity 412 and more particularly only partially into the internal cavity 412. The body is arranged to extend from the stand 432 at an acute angle, so as to be slanted extending diagonally into the internal cavity 412 and be non-parallel with the first side 424 and second side 426 of the dividing wall 406. This slanted arrangement provides a more stable thermal protection element 414 within the dividing wall 406.

[0071] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional side view of another vehicle battery assembly 500 according to embodiments of the invention, which may provide the vehicle battery assembly 102 attached to the vehicle 100 in FIG. 1. The vehicle battery assembly 500 includes a vehicle battery enclosure and a plurality of battery subassemblies. More particularly, the vehicle battery assembly 500 includes a housing, cell 502 in a first battery subassembly, cell 504 in a second battery subassembly adjacent to the first battery subassembly, a housing including dividing wall 506, receiving portion 508 accommodating the first battery subassembly, receiving portion 510 accommodating the second battery subassembly, internal cavity 512, cell vent 516 of the cell 502 in the first battery subassembly, cell vent 518 of the cell 504 in the second battery subassembly, lid 520 of the housing, tray 522 of the housing, first side 524 and second side 526 of the dividing wall 506, vent receiving region 528 of the first side 524 of the dividing wall 506, and vent receiving region 530 of the second side 526 of the dividing wall 506. Each of these components may be as described in relation to the embodiment of FIG. 4, and for the sake of conciseness are not repeated here. The vehicle battery assembly 500 further includes a thermal protection element 514, retainers 532 and retaining ribs 534.

[0072] The thermal protection element 514 in the present embodiment holds some similarities with the thermal protection element 414 in FIG. 4. Similarly to the thermal protection element 414 in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the thermal protection element 514 is arranged in a substantially central portion of the internal cavity 512 aligned to block a venting flow path between vent receiving regions 528, 530. Furthermore, the thermal protection element 514 in the present embodiment is dimensioned to the volume of the internal cavity 512, thereby being sufficient to block emissions traversing the venting flow path between the cell vents 516, 518. Additionally, the thermal protection element 514 may include the same materials as described in relation to the thermal protection element 414 in FIG. 4. As such, each of these similarities will not be described again here for the sake of conciseness.

[0073] T urning now to the differences between the vehicle battery assemblies 400, 500, the vehicle battery assembly 500 in the present embodiment of FIG. 5 differs from the vehicle battery assembly 400 of FIG. 4 in the provision of its thermal protection element 514, retainers 532 and retaining ribs 534, as compared with the thermal protection element 414 and stand 432 in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 5, the thermal protection element 514 is substantially planar and arranged to be substantially perpendicular to the fray 522 so as to be parallel with the first side 524 and second side 526 of the dividing wall 506.

[0074] Retainers 532 surround the thermal protection element 514 and are arranged to support the thermal protection element 514 within the internal cavity 512, so as to retain a position of the thermal protection element 514 relative to the dividing wall 506 during normal operation where none of the battery subassemblies are undergoing any undesirable battery event. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the retainers 532 include two retainers 532 arranged on each side of the thermal protection element 514 so as to abut the respective sides 524, 526 of the dividing wall 506. However, it will be understood that the disclosure is not limited to this, and in some embodiments a single retainer 532 may be provided with the thermal protection element 514 embedded within it, and in other embodiments more than two retainers 532 may be arranged to retain the position of the thermal protection element 514. The retainers 532 in the present embodiment comprise foam which may be sufficiently thermally resistant to reduce the risk of cell materials exhausted by a venting cell (e.g. cell 502 if cell vent 516 ruptures) during an undesirable battery event from rebounding back into its receiving portion 508 and battery subassembly.

[0075] In the present embodiment, the dividing wall 506 further includes retaining ribs 534 protruding from its first side 524 and second side 526 respectively, which are arranged to retain the retainers 532. The retaining ribs 534 may be provided in any suitable manner, for example as protrusions formed integrally with the dividing wall 506 by casting, pressing or extrusion or adjoined to the dividing wall 506 by welding or the like.

[0076] FIG. 6A shows a perspective cross-sectional representation of another vehicle battery enclosure 600 according to embodiments of the invention, which is an example of a vehicle battery enclosure included in the vehicle battery assembly 102 in FIG. 1. In particular, one or more battery subassemblies can be introduced into the vehicle battery enclosure 600 to provide a vehicle battery assembly, such as the vehicle battery assembly 102 in FIG. 1.

[0077] The vehicle battery enclosure 600 includes dividing walls 602, receiving portions 604 and frame 606. The receiving portions 604 and frame 606 may be substantially as described herein. For completeness, it is noted that FIG. 6A shows the vehicle battery enclosure 600 in an opened configuration where the lid is removed for illustrative purposes.

[0078] FIG. 6B shows a close up cross-sectional perspective view of one of the dividing walls 602 shown in FIG. 6A. As described above in relation to the embodiments of FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, the dividing walls 204, 406, 506 each defined single internal cavities 412, 512. However, the dividing wall 602 in the present embodiment differs as it includes two internal cavities: a first internal cavity 608 and a second internal cavity 610, whereby a thermal protection element 612 is arranged in the second internal cavity 610. It will be understood that the disclosure is not limited to this and each dividing wall may define a plurality of internal cavities, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged in one or more of the plurality of internal cavities. The dividing wall 602 further includes a rib defining and separating the first internal cavity 608 and the second internal cavity 610, whereby the rib is arranged between a top of the dividing wall 602 and the tray defining the bottom of the dividing wall. The rib may be formed integrally with the dividing wall 602 or adjoined thereto by any suitable means. Whilst FIG. 6B shows the first internal cavity 608 and second internal cavity 610 being different sizes, with the second internal cavity 610 having a larger volume or cross-sectional area than that of the first internal cavity 608, this does not limit the disclosure as each internal cavity may be designed to have any suitable size.

[0079] In the present embodiment, the thermal protection element 612 includes a stand and is arranged to extend diagonally at an acute angle from the stand, similarly to the thermal protection element 414 in FIG. 4. The thermal protection element 612 in the present embodiment however differs from the thermal protection element 414 in the embodiment in FIG. 4 in that the thermal protection element 612 extends from a bottom of the first internal cavity 608 (defined by the fray of the housing) to a top of the first internal cavity 608. In particular, the thermal protection element 612 extends from a lower corner of the second internal cavity 610 to an opposing upper corner of the second internal cavity 610, so as to extend diagonally across the diameter (or section) of the second internal cavity 610 within the dividing wall 602. In doing so, slanting the thermal protection element 612 across substantially the entire diameter of the second internal cavity 610 helps to more equally distribute the volume of the second internal cavity 610 between the two sides of the dividing wall 602, such that when either side becomes compromised during an undesirable battery event, around half of the volume of the second internal cavity 610 is available for the emissions to be exhausted into for expanding and cooling therein. It will be understood that the thermal protection element 612 is considered to extend across the full section (or diameter) of the second internal cavity 610, whether abutting or being proximate to the upper corner of the second internal cavity 610. As such, the presence of the thermal protection element 612 means that when an undesirable battery event happens such that a cell vent ruptures, the thermal protection element 612 effectively acts to reduce the risk of the vent receiving region directly opposing the non-venting cell in the adjacent battery subassembly from burning through and in turn the risk of the cell vent of the non-venting cell from rupturing.

[0080] As the thermal protection element 612 extends the full diameter of the second internal cavity 610, in some embodiments, the thermal protection element 612 may not necessarily be as bending resistant as the thermal protection elements 414, 514 described herein and may have different mechanical properties, such as a lower flexure strength. This is because during an undesirable battery event the thermal protection element 612 may be allowed to bend when blasted with emissions exhausted by a ruptured cell vent, as even when bent, the thermal protection element 612 may still be arranged to cover and protect the vent receiving region facing the opposing non-ruptured cell vent from the emissions in practice.

[0081] It will be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to the embodiment of FIG. 6B, as a dividing wall in the present invention may define a single internal cavity (like in the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5), whereby the thermal protection element extends from a base to a top of the internal cavity, such as substantially across the section of the internal cavity (like in the embodiment of FIGS. 6A and 6B).

[0082] FIG. 7A shows a perspective view of a thermal protection element 702 according to embodiments of the invention, which may provide the thermal protection elements 414, 612 in the embodiments of FIGS. 4, 6A and 6B. FIG. 7B also shows a side view of the thermal protection element 702 of FIG. 7A.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 7A, the thermal protection element 702 includes a body 704 and stand supporting the body 704. The body 704 is substantially planar and formed integrally with the stand to extend from the stand at an acute angle to improve stability of the thermal protection element 702 within the internal cavity it is accommodated by in practice.

[0084] The stand in the present embodiment includes a plurality of feet 706 extending from a base of the body 704. In the present embodiment, the feet 706 are distributed evenly along the length of the base of the body 704 to help provide stability. Each foot 706 includes an aperture for receiving a coupler for creating a joint (not shown) arranged to couple the thermal protection element 702 via each foot 706 to the bottom of the dividing wall (which may be provided by the fray of the housing). In doing so, the couplers help to improve the stability of the thermal protection element 702 within the vehicle battery enclosure by retaining a position of the thermal protection element 702 relative to the dividing wall. In such embodiments, the vehicle battery enclosure may include one or more couplers, which may include at least one of fasteners, snap fits, and clips.

[0085] It will be appreciated however that the disclosure is not limited to this, and in some embodiments, the stand may be provided with one or more feet. For example, a single foot may be provided that extends across the full length of the thermal protection element 702, as opposed to being divided into separate protruding feet. In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of couplers, adhesive may be used to adhere the thermal protection element to the dividing wall.

[0086] FIG. 8A shows a perspective cross-sectional view of a dividing wall 800 in a further vehicle battery enclosure according to embodiments of the invention, which is an example of a vehicle battery enclosure included in the vehicle battery assembly 102 in FIG. 1. The dividing wall 800 defines receiving portions 802 to either side and a first internal cavity and second internal cavity defined and separated by a rib, whereby a thermal protection element 804 is arranged in the second internal cavity. As this arrangement is the same as the embodiment of FIG. 6B, its description will not be reiterated here for the sake of conciseness.

[0087] The thermal protection element 804 however differs from the embodiment in FIG. 6B. More particularly, the thermal protection element 804 is arranged to extend substantially vertically from a base of the second internal cavity to a top of the second internal cavity at an angle substantially perpendicular to the base of the second internal cavity so as to be substantially parallel with the sides of the dividing wall 800. The thermal protection element 804 is arranged substantially centrally within the second internal cavity so as to split its volume equally, so that if a battery subassembly in either side undergoes an undesirable battery event and ruptures the corresponding vent receiving region, the emissions may be exhausted into a volume approximately half the volume of the second internal cavity, whilst protecting the vent receiving region corresponding to the non-venting cell in the adjacent battery subassembly from the emissions exhausted by the venting cell.

[0088] The dividing wall 800 further includes stand portions 806 for supporting the thermal protection element 804 within the dividing wall 800. As shown in FIG. 8A, two stand portions 806 are provided for receiving respective upper and lower edges 810 of the thermal protection element 804. More particularly, the edges 810 of the thermal protection element 804 are slotted into the stand portions 806. Each stand portion 806 includes two protrusions extending from a respective top and base of the internal cavity accommodating the thermal protection element 804, whereby the two protrusions are arranged to receive the respective edge 810 of the thermal protection element 804 therebetween. The edges 810 of the thermal protection element 804 are adhered to the respective stand portions 806 for coupling thereto, thereby helping to retain a position of the thermal protection element 804 relative to the dividing wall 800. In some embodiments, retainers such as the retainers 532 in the embodiment of FIG. 5 may additionally be arranged within the internal cavity to each side of the thermal protection element 804 to further aid in retaining its position relative to the dividing wall 800.

[0089] It will be appreciated that the disclosure is not limited to the embodiment of FIG. 8A, as a dividing wall in the present invention may define a single internal cavity (like in the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5), whereby the thermal protection element extends from a base to a top of the internal cavity, such as perpendicularly to the base of the internal cavity (like in the embodiment of FIG. 8A).

[0090] FIG. 8B shows a perspective view of the thermal protection element 804 in isolation. As shown, the thermal protection element 804 is elongated and substantially planar and includes retaining portions 808 at each end of the thermal protection element 804. The retaining portions 808 are for coupling or joining the ends of the thermal protection element 804 to the outwardly side walls of the housing (such as the sides of the frame 202 in FIG. 2), thereby further helping to retain a relative position of the thermal protection element 804 with respect to the dividing wall 800.

[0091] The disclosure however is not limited to this, and in some embodiments, the thermal protection element may be flexible having a height (defined as the distance between its edges and not between the ends having the retaining portions 808) that is greater than a section of the accommodating internal cavity. In doing so, the thermal protection element may be bent into the dividing wall so as to abut a top and bottom of the portions of the dividing wall defining the internal cavity (e.g. tray, rib or lid described herein) to be self-supporting within the dividing wall without requiring further coupling means.

[0092] FIG. 9 shows a flow chart of a method of forming a vehicle battery enclosure according to embodiments of the invention, such as the vehicle battery enclosures described herein.

[0093] The method includes step 902 of providing a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies. An example of the housing may be as described herein (such as the housing described in relation to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 8A and 9A), including at least one dividing wall defining a plurality of receiving portions for accommodating the battery subassemblies. An example of a battery subassembly may be as described herein, including a plurality of cells (such as the battery subassemblies and cells in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5). One or more of the dividing walls define an internal cavity, an example of which may be as described herein (such as the dividing walls defining internal cavities in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, and 8A).

[0094] In some examples of the disclosure, step 902 further includes forming the housing, which may be performed by any suitable means, such as by a pressing, casting, or extrusion process and formed either integrally or as separate components which are subsequently adjoined together as described herein.

[0095] The method further includes step 904 of arranging a thermal protection element in the internal cavity. An example of the thermal protection element may be as described herein (such as the thermal protection elements in FIGS. 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B).

[0096] In some examples of the disclosure, the thermal protection element may be formed prior to being arranged within the dividing wall. The thermal protection element may be formed by any suitable means.

[0097] Although not shown, in some embodiments, a method of manufacturing a vehicle battery assembly may also be provided, which includes performing the method of FIG. 9 of manufacturing the vehicle battery enclosure with an additional step (not shown) of arranging a battery subassembly in the vehicle battery enclosure. The battery subassembly may be arranged in the vehicle battery enclosure to house the battery subassembly by arranging each battery subassembly in a respective receiving portion defined by the housing. The vehicle battery assembly may be as described herein, for example as described in relation to FIGS. 1 , 4 and 5.

[0098] In further embodiments (not shown), a method of manufacturing a vehicle may also be provided, which includes the method described above of manufacturing the vehicle battery assembly and a further step of attaching the vehicle battery assembly to a vehicle body by any suitable means known in the art. The vehicle 100 shown in Figure 1 is an example of such a vehicle. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular examples described herein. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is used for describing particular examples only and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0099] In describing and claiming the apparatus and methods of the present invention, the following terminology will be used: the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a dividing wall" includes reference to one or more of such elements.

[0100] In the interest of conciseness not all possible alternatives which fall within the scope of the present disclosure have been explicitly discussed herein. As the skilled person will appreciate, in the present disclosure any aspect discussed from the perspective of an element being operable to do an action also discloses the same feature from the perspective of a method including a method step corresponding to the action. Similarly, any discussion presented from the perspective of a method step also discloses the same features from the perspective of any one or more suitable elements being operable or configured to carry out some or all of the method step. It is also considered within the present disclosure that for any method step(s), there can be a computer program configured to carry out, when executed, the method step(s).

[0101] Features, integers, characteristics, or groups described in conjunction with a particular aspect, embodiment or example of the invention are to be understood to be applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described herein unless incompatible therewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and / or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. The invention is not restricted to the details of any foregoing examples. The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

[0102] It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present application.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A vehicle battery enclosure, comprising: a housing for receiving a plurality of battery subassemblies, the battery subassemblies each comprising a plurality of cells, the housing comprising at least one dividing wall defining a plurality of receiving portions for accommodating the plurality of battery subassemblies, one or more of the at least one dividing wall defining an internal cavity within that dividing wall; and a thermal protection element arranged in the internal cavity, the thermal protection element for reducing heat transfer from one receiving portion to an adjacent receiving portion.

2. The vehicle battery enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the thermal protection element comprises a thermally resistant material.

3. The vehicle battery enclosure of claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermal protection element extends partially into the internal cavity.

4. The vehicle battery enclosure of claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged to extend substantially from a top of the internal cavity to a bottom of the internal cavity.

5. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged in a substantially central portion within the dividing wall.

6. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the dividing wall includes heat dissipation means for dissipating heat from the internal cavity.

7. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged to extend diagonally across the internal cavity within the dividing wall.

8. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged to extend in a direction parallel to a direction defined by at least one side of the internal cavity within the dividing wall.

9. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one of: couplers configured to couple the thermal protection element to the dividing wall; one or more retainers configured to support the thermal protection element within the internal cavity; and a stand configured to support the thermal protection element in the internal cavity within the dividing wall.

10. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the thermal protection element is flexible.

11. The vehicle battery enclosure of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the thermal protection element includes a bending resistant material.

12. A vehicle battery assembly comprising the vehicle battery enclosure of any one of the preceding claims and a plurality of battery subassemblies, wherein the thermal protection element is for reducing heat transfer from one battery subassembly to an adjacent battery subassembly.

13. The vehicle battery assembly of claim 12, wherein the dividing wall comprises a vent receiving region directly opposing a cell vent, wherein the thermal protection element is dimensioned to at least the dimensions of the vent receiving region.

14. The vehicle battery assembly of claim 13, wherein the dividing wall comprises a first vent receiving region and a second vent receiving region, the first vent receiving region directly opposing cell vents in a first battery subassembly and the second vent receiving region directly opposing cell vents in a second battery subassembly adjacent to the first battery subassembly, wherein the thermal protection element is arranged between the first vent receiving region and the second vent receiving region to intercept a venting flow path between a cell vent of the first battery subassembly and a cell vent of the second battery subassembly.

15. A vehicle comprising the vehicle battery enclosure of any one of claims 1 to 11 , or the vehicle battery assembly of any one of claims 12 to 14.

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