By ATN
Author: Dr. Kieran O’Regan, Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of About:Energy
It’s safe to say that in the era of electrification, new innovations in powering the latest breed of sports-, super- and hypercar are rapidly reshaping the definition of ‘high-performance’. For every benchmark-setting acceleration figure or lap record set by a new EV, there’s a complex battery development process that’s powering this shift and that is being facilitated by new breakthroughs in battery testing simulation, changing people’s perception of ‘electric’ and what’s possible.
Driving this shift is the need to equip battery engineers with the right tools to make high-performance EV development not just cost-effective, but viable from the outset. Advanced software and high-quality electrochemical data are central to this effort. Together, they enable OEMs to design, test, and optimise battery systems in a virtual environment—cutting development costs, reducing risk, and accelerating time-to-market.
Nowhere have we seen this impact more keenly than in working with McMurtry Automotive, the visionaries behind the immensely capable Spéirling hyper-car. A fan-assisted, featherweight rocket, the Spéirling redefined the capabilities of modern automotive engineering with its record-breaking run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, accelerating from 0-60mph in just 1.4 seconds. But the most impressive technological feat arguably lies off-track, and instead in the battery lab; working with them to utilise cutting-edge simulation tools, they were able to reduce its battery pack application design time by a staggering 70%, compressing a months-long process into just a few weeks.
The insights unlocked by simulation technologies are helping manufacturers such as McMurtry tackle some of the largest engineering roadblocks facing the development teams trying to make performance EVs cost-effectively. Unlike road-going electric cars, high-performance track vehicles operate under extreme and unforgiving conditions; sustained full-throttle acceleration, rapid discharge and recharge cycles, and aggressive thermal demands all place sustained, immense strain on battery cells and systems.
At McMurtry, the development team set out to maximise performance by designing a battery system capable of safely operating at the edge of its limits. Their goal was to align thermal and electrical behaviour so that both temperature and state of charge approach their operational boundaries simultaneously. This balance ensures the vehicle can consistently deliver peak power without compromising safety. By running detailed simulations early in development, the team can fine-tune these complex dynamics before building physical prototypes—an approach that has been crucial to achieving repeatable, high-performance track sessions with minimal downtime.
Offering a robust basis for performance development, one key factor in this success is the use of Molicel cells, which offer an unusually strong combination of energy and power density. While high-capacity cells often come with higher internal resistance – a limiting factor in high-power environments – Molicel’s P50B defies that trend. Its low resistance significantly reduces heat generation during peak power use, providing a real edge for performance-focused engineering. Simulation enables manufacturers to map these characteristics directly into vehicle architecture, optimising everything from radiator placement to charge control algorithms. The Molicel range, including the P50B, has become the de facto choice for companies operating at the cutting edge across industries like space, defence, and aviation. We work with a wide range of stakeholders pushing battery performance in different directions.
Ensuring the accuracy of data is pivotal in making such simulation-enabled efficiencies a reality. That’s why high-fidelity battery models, built from electrochemical teardown investigations and rigorous testing across a wide range of high-performance cells on the market, are so important. These models offer accurate predictions of cell behaviour across a comprehensive range of scenarios, including high-stress ‘use and abuse’ cases typical in motorsport. By integrating these precise virtual models into the design workflow, McMurtry can run detailed thermal, lifecycle, and performance simulations, so accurate that they can then be correlated with the real-world track data to identify refinement areas within the prototype pack design.
This ability to explore a broader design space virtually is a game-changer; it accelerates development, reduces reliance on costly physical prototypes, and enables more confident decisions about fast charging, cooling systems, and operational safety margins. It also means that new battery chemistries and cell formats can be integrated into vehicle designs more swiftly, which is an essential advantage for small, agile manufacturers aiming to stay ahead of larger OEMs.
What’s clear is that battery simulation is no longer a theoretical luxury—it is now a foundational capability in the high-performance EV sector. By frontloading battery development into the virtual realm, manufacturers gain unprecedented speed, accuracy, and agility—all critical attributes in a market where staying still means falling behind. These highly advanced tools have all but streamlined battery design and redefined the rules of engagement.
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