Commonization in Design: How It Can Help, Save Cost, and How It Can Lead to Higher Cost, Complexity, Being Locked Into Features
Commonization in battery pack design means using identical components or subsystems across multiple products. This approach replaces custom solutions with standardized parts like cells, busbars, or BMS hardware. It directly impacts manufacturing efficiency and product flexibility.
For engineers, commonization offers major cost savings but introduces new constraints. You gain economies of scale while potentially limiting performance optimization. This balance defines modern battery development strategies.
We’ll examine how commonization cuts cell procurement costs by 15-30% through bulk purchasing. Then we’ll explore hidden expenses when platform constraints demand expensive workarounds. Practical implementation strategies conclude our analysis.
Defining Commonization in Battery Pack Design
Contents:
Commonization in battery design strategically reuses identical components or subsystems across multiple products. This replaces custom solutions with standardized parts like cells, busbars, or BMS hardware. It fundamentally reshapes how engineers approach development cycles and supply chains.
What Commonization Means for Engineers
Commonization Definition in Product Development Context
Product commonization means maximizing part reuse across platforms to cut costs and accelerate timelines. For battery packs, this manifests as shared cell formats (like 21700 cylindrical) or universal thermal interface materials. A single module design might serve both EVs and grid storage systems. Adopting lightweighting strategies for pack housings can further enhance efficiency by reducing material usage while maintaining structural integrity. These strategies not only support cost reduction but also contribute to overall performance improvements in energy storage solutions.
Commonization vs. Customization in Battery Systems
Customization tailors packs to specific voltage or thermal needs but multiplies SKUs and validation efforts. Commonization sacrifices application-specific optimizations for bulk purchasing power. You trade peak performance for 20-40% procurement savings on high-cost items like battery management ICs.
Core Principles Of Design Commonization
Standardization of Components Across Product Lines
Prioritize high-cost, low-variation elements: cell connectors, cell holders, and voltage sensing boards become identical. This slashes tooling expenses and qualifies suppliers faster. A single busbar design used across 5 products cuts new part approval cycles by 75%.
The Commonization Process in Battery Development
Start by mapping functional overlaps between products using Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA). Next, freeze specifications for shared subsystems before mechanical integration. Finally, validate performance boundaries through multi-platform testing. This phased approach prevents late-stage compromises.
Cost-saving Benefits Of Commonization
Design commonization cuts expenses through strategic part reuse across product lines. Bulk purchasing of standardized components lowers per-unit costs significantly. Efficiency in design can also extend to choices in materials, particularly when selecting busbars, where conductivity and cost are critical considerations for maximizing performance while staying budget-friendly.
Reducing Manufacturing Expenses
Economies of Scale in Cell and Module Production
Standardizing cell formats like 21700 cylindrical across models increases order volumes. This leverages bulk discounts, cutting cell costs by 12-18% at million-unit scales. Optimizing these formats can be enhanced by employing series parallel cell configuration strategies, which improve performance and reliability in power systems.
Identical module designs reduce tooling investments. One automated production line can serve multiple products, slashing capital expenditure by 30-50%.
Streamlined Supply Chain Management
Commonized designs simplify inventory with fewer unique parts. This reduces warehousing needs and minimizes obsolete stock risks.
Supplier negotiations strengthen with consolidated orders. Lead times for shared components drop 40-60% through consistent demand forecasting.
Operational Efficiency Gains
Accelerated Design-to-Production Cycles
Reusing validated designs eliminates redundant development phases. New product introductions accelerate by 6-9 months by leveraging existing platforms.
Engineering resources focus on innovation rather than recreating base architectures. This boosts team productivity by 25-35%.
Reduced Testing and Validation Costs
Certified common components require less retesting. Qualification expenses drop 50-70% when using previously validated thermal pads or busbars. Selecting appropriate thermal interface materials is crucial for maximizing performance and reliability. A well-prepared thermal interface material selection guide can provide valuable insights to make informed decisions in this area.
Standardized interfaces simplify safety certifications. Regulatory compliance costs decrease with consistent design approaches across product families.
Complexity Challenges in Commonized Designs
While product line commonization saves money, it introduces integration hurdles. Balancing diverse requirements often demands difficult compromises.
Integration Difficulties in Battery Systems
Balancing Performance Across Applications
A commonized module must serve both high-power EVs and energy-dense storage systems. This forces design compromises that limit peak performance in either application. Effective thermal management is crucial here, as it can greatly influence the performance of these systems. Evaluating module-level vs. pack-level thermal management strategies can reveal significant differences in efficiency and effectiveness.
Power density targets often conflict between products. A 20% performance gap typically emerges between specialized and commonized solutions.
Thermal Management Compromises
Cooling requirements vary significantly across platforms. A shared thermal system may over-cool stationary storage while under-serving sports EVs. Effective thermal management requires careful consideration of system design principles to ensure optimal performance across varied applications.
Forced air cooling might suffice for one application but prove inadequate for high-C-rate operations. These mismatches accelerate degradation by 15-25%. To optimize cooling efficiency, appropriate coolant flow distribution strategies should be considered. Such strategies ensure that heat is dissipated evenly, which can significantly extend the lifespan of the equipment.
Increased Development Overhead
Cross-Platform Compatibility Testing
Each new product variant requires full regression testing. Validating interactions between common subsystems and custom elements adds 200-400 test hours per platform.
Software integration complexities multiply with shared BMS hardware. Firmware development cycles extend by 30-50% to ensure cross-compatibility. Proper monitoring of critical BMS functions is essential to safeguard the system’s reliability. This includes protection mechanisms that can prevent failures and enhance overall performance.
Managing Software Integration Complexities
Commonized battery management systems need adaptable firmware. This demands layered architecture with application-specific modules. Effective design in a battery disconnect unit (BDU) plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety and efficiency of these systems. The functional design of a BDU focuses on reliable disconnection while maintaining seamless integration with battery management processes.
Over-the-air updates become critical but introduce cybersecurity risks. Each firmware revision requires validation across all platforms.
Also See: Solar Load Calculation for Grid Energy Storage
Feature Lock-in Risks and Limitations
Design commonization can create inflexible platforms. These constraints may hinder adaptation to emerging technologies.
Design Constraints in Commonized Platforms
Inflexibility in Performance Specifications
Commonized packs limit voltage customization options. A fixed 400V architecture can’t adopt 800V charging without major redesigns.
Physical dimensions become standardized across products. This restricts form factor innovations for space-constrained applications. Proper busbar support spacing calculations are essential to optimize space while maintaining structural integrity. These calculations help ensure that busbars are effectively supported without compromising safety or performance.
Compromised Innovation Opportunities
Implementing new chemistries like silicon anodes requires platform redesigns. Commonized systems delay adoption of emerging technologies by 18-24 months.
Manufacturing processes become optimized for existing designs. Switching to new cell formats incurs significant retooling expenses. This consideration is particularly important when evaluating the trade-offs between different cell formats like pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical. Each format presents unique advantages and challenges that businesses must weigh carefully.
Long-term Cost Implications
Redesign Expenses for Platform Changes
Migrating commonized architectures to new standards costs 60-80% more than incremental upgrades. Full platform revisions require requalification of all shared components.
Supply chain modifications become necessary when changing core elements. This disrupts production and increases inventory write-offs.
Obsolescence Risks in Fast-Evolving Technologies
Commonized components may become outdated simultaneously. A single discontinued cell format affects entire product lines.
Battery technology cycles advance every 3-5 years. Platform longevity depends on forward-compatible interfaces, which are challenging to implement.
Closing Thoughts
Commonization in battery pack design presents a compelling paradox. While it delivers tangible cost reductions through economies of scale and simplified supply chains, it can simultaneously introduce hidden expenses through integration challenges and feature lock-in.
The sweet spot lies in strategic modularity. By commonizing high-impact components like cell formats or cooling systems while preserving flexibility in performance-critical areas, designers achieve the best of both worlds. Thermal management systems often yield 30-40% cost savings when standardized across platforms.
For teams navigating these tradeoffs, Battery Pack Design offers detailed case studies on successful implementation strategies. Our resources cover everything from cost modeling to platform architecture planning for optimal commonization. Effective module electrical architecture design ensures that these strategies are seamlessly integrated into the overall system, enhancing performance and reliability. Focusing on modularity can significantly improve the efficiency of the design process.
