Shell, FAW partner on better, safer electric semi truck batteries — SkimNews
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- FAW and Shell's chemical division co-developed an immersion-cooling battery pack for the Starship Hybrid concept semi truck, surrounding battery cells in electrically insulating fluid to manage heat more effectively than conventional EV cooling.
- The immersion-cooled pack has completed industry-standard on-road certification testing and is now undergoing FAW validation under demanding commercial vehicle conditions, including sustained high-power charging and rapid discharging.
- Initial vehicle tests showed up to a 98% increase in maximum gradability, a 0.8% improvement in energy efficiency, and the potential for up to 32% longer battery life compared with a conventional cooling setup.
- Wang Jianyu, President of FAW's Commercial Vehicle Development Institute, said combining FAW's commercial-vehicle engineering with Shell's immersion-cooling technology targets the growing demand for higher power, greater efficiency, and faster charging in commercial vehicles.
- Shell and FAW plan to showcase the latest validation progress, the Starship concept truck, and a sample of the immersion batteries at the FAW TRUCKS booth during IAA Transportation 2026 in Hannover, Germany.
Why it matters: For long-haul fleets running mountainous routes, a 98% gradability jump and 32% longer battery life could shift the economics of hybrid-electric heavy trucks. Immersion cooling attacks the thermal bottleneck that caps fast-charging and sustained high-power output — two core barriers to commercial fleet electrification — and gives Shell a battery-chemistry foothold beyond its lubricants business.
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