3 Questions for… Maximilian Schirp, CTO & Co-founder, ivilion
“Our concept does not require module housings or inner frames”
Potential of a novel multifunctional structural battery cooling technology: Schirp’s topic on 9 July.
SLA RWTH Aachen
In the run-up to the Automotive Battery Conference, we interviewed Maximilian Schirp, CTO & Co-founder at ivilion. The 7th edition of the international event will take place on 9 and 10 July 2025 in Munich, and Schirp is one of the speakers.
Maximilian Schirp studied mechanical and aerospace
engineering at RWTH Aachen University, where he also conducted research at the
Institute of Structural Mechanics and Lightweight Design. In 2024, he
co-founded ivilion, where he serves as CTO. In this role, he leads product
design and R&D.
At the upcoming Automotive Battery Conference 2025, Schirp
will present on “Potential of a novel multifunctional structural battery
cooling technology”, highlighting the benefits of multifunctionality, cooling
concepts, and the current development stage of the technology and challenges in
this context. Ahead of the event, we asked him the following three questions.
ADT: What
are the advantages of integrating structural and thermal management functions
in one system?
Schirp: Integrating
thermal and structural functions in one system has the major advantage that the
number of needed parts is reduced. Additional parts use up volume in the pack,
leading to less space for battery cells, and increased production costs.
How does your
multifunctional approach improve energy density and vehicle packaging?
As mentioned before, multifunctionality
allows us to reduce the number of needed parts. Our concept does not require
module housings or inner frames. The cold plate is replaced by our cooling
structures. The space which would be used by these parts can then be used for
cells, leading to higher energy density.
What technical
hurdles still need to be overcome before series integration is feasible?
We are currently working on a scalable manufacturing
process for our cooling structures/battery packs. This includes the extrusion
process, sealing of the cooling structures, and automated insertion of battery
cells into the cooling structures, including application of thermal paste.
