Lucas Johnson is a battery systems engineer with expertise in Li-ion batteries, electrochemistry, and data analysis. Lucas conducted lithium battery research in the Abruña Electrochemistry Lab, worked on lithium metal pouch cell optimization at a battery startup, and has worked in the validation of battery cells and suppliers for high-volume applications. Lucas is passionate about advancing the implementation of next-generation battery technologies.
When people talk about battery innovation, the conversation usually jumps straight to chemistry. Solid-state, Sodium-ion, LFP, NMC, and more. There’s always the “next big thing” on the horizon, and while those developments are exciting, I think one of the biggest misconceptions in the industry is that chemistry alone determines battery performance. It has been my experience that chemistry is just one of many factors in a long list that leads to a successful pack and cell design.
Engineering a successful battery-powered system is much more nuanced than simply choosing the “right” chemistry. The real challenge, and the real opportunity, comes from understanding how different batteries behave in the context of the entire system they power, including battery pack design, battery thermal management, and rigorous battery performance testing.
Developing and refining a systems-level perspective has been the focus of my career and how I approach battery engineering today.
My educational background is in chemical engineering. My college coursework and lab experiences were focused on lithium metal battery research, specifically lithium metal anodes. Before joining Re:Build AppliedLogix, I worked for a lithium metal battery startup and later spent time performing battery characterization work on both prototype and commercial cells to be deployed within high-volume products. Those early career roles gave me hands-on experience with everything from molecular-level battery analysis to high-level performance evaluation, to consumer perception. The diversity of battery engineering roles that I have completed directly informs my approach to battery system design and battery performance testing across many different chemistries and form factors.
A key takeaway is that maximizing battery performance is rarely about optimizing a single variable. It’s about how chemistry, cell and pack mechanical design, thermal behavior, usage patterns, and system architecture all interact together. And that’s where many projects run into trouble.
One of the most common problems I see is treating the battery as a simple commodity and an afterthought.
A team will spend months designing electronics, mechanical packaging, and software architecture before finally saying, “Now we need to pick a battery.” At that point, those other engineering activities have already overly constrained what’s possible.
For some applications, this “battery as a simple commodity” mentality won’t lead to any issues. But in other more demanding applications it can create serious problems. Doing that high-level systems check is essential; the battery needs to be considered from the start.
If engineers understand early on what a battery can realistically provide in terms of power delivery, energy density, thermal limitations, charging behavior, and lifecycle performance, then they can make much smarter architectural decisions upfront. Those critical insights reduce the likelihood of costly redesigns later. Once a product is built around the wrong battery assumptions, fixing the problem becomes expensive very quickly. You may need a larger pack, additional parallel cell groups, different battery thermal management, or more space in the enclosure. Suddenly the battery no longer fits the mechanical design, and multiple engineering teams are reworking their systems. Now it’s not just a battery problem, it’s a full product redesign.
Another issue I see frequently is relying too heavily on the manufacturer’s battery spec sheets.
A battery may be rated for 20 watt-hours, but that doesn’t necessarily mean your system will actually get 20 watt-hours of usable energy under real operating conditions. Load profiles, operating temperature, and aging all matter. A battery that performs well when brand new may behave very differently after hundreds of cycles or exposure to high temperatures.
That’s why battery performance testing is so important.
You need to carefully evaluate batteries as close to the full range of conditions your application will experience, not just under ideal laboratory conditions or vendor test parameters. Effective battery system design integrates application-specific battery performance testing alongside battery thermal management plans.
At Re:Build AppliedLogix, we spend a lot of time instrumenting and characterizing cells within our battery test lab rather than relying solely on supplier data. Different manufacturers test their cells differently, and if you don’t replicate those tests internally, you may discover problems far too late in development.
Comprehensive testing provides key insights and early warning signs. Without that testing, the first indication of a problem may come from a customer in the field.
One of the most overlooked aspects of battery design is understanding the full duty cycle of the product.
Many teams validate a battery against a single discharge profile and assume they’re done. But real users don’t always operate products the way engineers model them.
For example, a device may be discharged heavily, immediately recharged, then immediately discharged again, over and over with very little cooling time in between. That repeated cycling can create heat buildup that wasn’t captured during initial validation testing.
A battery system design that is lacking robust battery thermal management can perform perfectly during isolated testing and then functionally fail during continuous real-world use. If those use cases aren’t identified early, you can end up with overheating, degraded performance, shortened lifespan, or customer dissatisfaction in the field.
The goal isn’t just to simply confirm that a battery works under nominal conditions. The goal is to prove it works reliably throughout the entire operational lifecycle of the product. This requires disciplined battery performance testing and thoughtful battery pack design.
While the industry often focuses on breakthrough technologies, the real story of batteries over the last several decades has been one of sustained incremental improvements.
The ubiquitous lithium-ion chemistry has been a mainstay since the 1990s. Continuous refinements in materials, manufacturing, packaging, and cell construction continue to elevate battery performance. Today’s batteries are dramatically better in terms of energy density, power capability, reliability, and manufacturability than earlier generations.
Even more importantly, they are becoming more accessible. Lower battery costs are enabling products and industries that simply weren’t economically viable before. That trend is just as impactful as any single chemistry breakthrough.
There are some emerging technologies and market trends I’m particularly excited about.
Sodium-ion batteries are becoming increasingly compelling, in particular for applications like grid storage where weight and energy density are less critical. Sodium-ion offers potential advantages in cost, safety, and material availability. One very unique characteristic is the ability to safely discharge to zero volts without facing the copper dissolution and inherent instability that lithium chemistries experience under this condition.
I’m also encouraged by and an enthusiastic proponent for the growing push for domestic battery manufacturing.
For years, the industry has become heavily dependent on overseas cell production, particularly from China. Those manufacturers have developed significant expertise and economies of scale, but there’s increasing recognition that building domestic capability is strategically important.
Expanding local manufacturing and technical expertise will strengthen North American supply chains and accelerate innovation across the industry, especially in battery pack design and battery system design.
Ultimately, successful battery integration comes down to asking the right questions early.
The companies that take the time to answer those questions upfront are the ones that avoid expensive surprises and end-customer dissatisfaction later.
Battery engineering isn’t just about chemistry. It’s about developing the end-to-end understanding of the complete system before implementing the design.
One of the biggest mistakes is treating the battery as an afterthought. Many teams finalize their electronics, software, and mechanical systems before seriously evaluating battery requirements. That approach often leads to costly redesigns later when the chosen battery can’t meet real-world performance demands.
Battery chemistry is important, but it’s only part of the equation. Cell construction, electrode design, mechanical packaging, charging behavior and thermal management all play major roles in determining how a battery performs in a real application. Two batteries with the same chemistry can behave very differently depending on how they are constructed.
Spec sheets are typically based on nominal testing conditions that may not reflect how the product will actually operate. Real-world load profiles, environmental temperatures, charging behavior, and battery aging can significantly alter the performance. That’s why application-specific validation testing is critical.
Testing is essential for identifying issues early in development. By validating cells against expected load profiles, duty cycles, and environmental conditions, engineering teams can uncover thermal, performance, or lifecycle problems before products reach customers. Early testing reduces risk, cost, and schedule delays.
A battery may perform well during a single discharge event but struggle under continuous real-world use. For example, repeated charging and discharging without adequate cooling can create heat buildup and accelerated degradation. Understanding the complete duty cycle helps ensure long-term reliability and safety.
Sodium-ion batteries are especially exciting for applications like grid storage because they offer potential advantages in cost, safety, and material availability. There’s also growing momentum around domestic battery manufacturing, which will serve to strengthen supply chains and accelerate innovation in battery design and production.
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