Tesla, Inc.

Pinnacle Engines Inc.

Tesla Motors, Inc.

Nicholas Paul Manov

James Montague Cleeves

Augusto E Barton

William B Stockton

Michael A Willcox

Simon David Jackson

Hugh Burnett Ross

Robert Clinton Lane

Nathan Khalil Chidiac

Julian Christian Carl

Weston Arthur Hermann

Alex Prilutsky

Paul Karplus

An energy storage system includes a module housing and multiple battery cells with insulating material and discharge directing material positioned inside the module housing. Each of the battery cells has a first end and a second end. Further, each of the battery cells has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The energy storage system includes a first interconnect and a second interconnect positioned over the battery cells. Multiple first cell connectors connect the positive terminals of the battery cells to the first interconnect. Multiple second cell connectors connect the negative terminals of the battery cells to the second interconnect. A top plate having an interior side and an exterior side is positioned over the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The top plate includes one or more weak areas with reduced integrity positioned above one or more battery cells.

Energy storage system

An energy storage system includes a module housing and multiple battery cells positioned inside the module housing. Each of the battery cells has a first end and a second end. Further, each of the battery cells has a positive terminal and a negative terminal. The energy storage system includes a first interconnect and a second interconnect positioned over the battery cells. Multiple first cell connectors connect the positive terminals of the battery cells to the first interconnect. Multiple second cell connectors connect the negative terminals of the battery cells to the second interconnect. A top plate having an interior side and an exterior side is positioned over the first interconnect and the second interconnect. The top plate includes one or more weak areas positioned above one or more battery cell.

An internal combustion engine is operable in an efficiency mode providing a first power output range between zero and a transition power output and in a power mode providing a second power output range between the transition power output and a maximum power output. The efficiency mode can include a first ignition timing and a first air/fuel ratio of the mixture to avoid premature auto-ignition, and the power mode can include a second ignition timing and a second air/fuel ratio of the mixture to avoid premature auto-ignition of the mixture. To further enable knock free operation of such an engine, turbulence can be imparted to the mixture to promote a faster burn duration and high temperatures that may lead to premature auto-ignition of the mixture can be avoided.

Multi-mode high efficiency internal combustion engine

A system and method are disclosed for fabricating and running an engine in two modes. The first mode is an efficiency mode having a high compression ratio and efficiency for low to medium loads. The second mode is a power mode having high power density for higher loads. The system may use a lean mixture in the efficiency mode, which mixture is made richer for more power in the power mode. The system may also use ignition timing to allow the efficiency mode and the high power mode to be at the same mixture.

Over-compressed engine

A test apparatus and corresponding method for simulating an internal cell short and initiating thermal runaway in a battery cell is disclosed whereby the cell is internally heated through rapid charge and discharge cycles at high currents. The magnitude of the selected current may be modulated to simulate a cell short with the desired power profile without unrealistically heating neighboring cells or interfering with the thermal environment of the cell within the module.

Method and apparatus for electrically cycling a battery cell to simulate an internal short

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Nicholas Paul Manov