Product-requirement-model to approach the identification of uncertainties in battery systems development

Electric mobility is on the verge of becoming a mass market. Major automotive OEMs have initiated programs to electrify their product portfolio. This transition poses new challenges and requires new innovative concepts in automotive development processes, especially for battery systems as the key component within electric powertrains. Battery system costs account for up to 40% of the electric vehicle’s total costs. Additionally, development cycles of battery systems for automotive applications are characterized by long development periods. Hence, the initiatives to advance electrification result in numerous development projects affiliated with significant development expenses. Battery systems can be referred to as mechatronic and electrochemical systems. They require a complex interaction of diverse scientific and engineering disciplines. Fast innovation cycles have effects regarding product requirements and assumptions towards their allocation. Hereby, uncertainties can lead to risks within development projects, especially in terms of time and costs. In current development processes, necessary changes are only dealt with reactively, causing unplanned additional expenses and delays. Thus, there is need for handling potential changes proactively, i.e. managing uncertainties leading to those changes as early as possible. New methods are necessary to identify and handle uncertainties of complex product systems within requirements engineering. An approach towards comprehensive uncertainty management is taken within this publication.