Leak testing, which has always been essential in the automotive industry for ensuring the manufacture of quality parts and components, is taking on added importance in the mobility age. The automotive industry continues to move at a rapid pace to keep up with the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Assemblies for Li-ion traction batteries and battery packs, as well as hydrogen fuel cells and fuel cell packs, each have their own special considerations for leak testing, from the component to the system level. However, engineering and product development are experiencing immense pressure to get products out of the door and into EVs. Concurrent with battery manufacturers’ racing forward to meet traction battery production demands, standards for leak testing Li-ion battery cells and packs, as well as hydrogen fuel cell batteries and packs, are in development.
It is critical to understand the leak-testing imperative for Li-ion traction batteries and fuel cell batteries, and how leak testing impacts product quality, performance, battery longevity and vehicle safety. Also critical is the need to define leak tightness testing standards specifically for leak testing Li-ion battery cells and packs, as well as fuel cells and the onboard hydrogen storage tanks and hydrogen delivery system. In the absence of specific leak-testing standards for these crucial electric propulsion power sources, elements of traction batteries and fuel cells, best practices based on what is already known can guide leak testing.