George Paterson, Product Development Director

George Paterson, Product Development Director at Delta Cosworth, joined us in December 2022 with over 20 years’ experience in the battery industry. He’s worked on a diverse range of applications; from mobile phones and trucks all the way to supercars, including the McLaren P1. George was brought into Cosworth to grow the battery product offering that enables us to supply multiple high-performance solutions to a wide range of sectors that require advanced battery technologies.

Can you explain your role at Cosworth?

I am responsible for overseeing the product strategy for Cosworth’s High-Performance Battery Systems. This includes refining the product roadmap, defining customer issues and providing solutions for them. Determining system architecture requirements and relevant product specifications, while demonstrating our capabilities through sample products, data analysis and simulation. Additionally, I am responsible for the entire product lifecycle management, with a focus on customer satisfaction, sustainability and the 2nd life use or recycling of valuable materials used in batteries.

As part of my product management responsibilities, one important aspect is the need to have a clear understanding of the company’s vision and direction. This involves long-term planning, usually spanning two to five years, and aligning our product strategy to meet the company’s goals. Understanding the latest and future battery technology and market trends is crucial to correctly guide our product development teams. Rather than focusing solely on product features, we aim to address customer pain points and provide solutions that are valued by those customers and end user. A great part of this role is my collaboration with various departments within the company, as well as external suppliers and customers, to ensure a holistic approach to product development.

Can you tell us about your experience in the battery industry prior to joining Cosworth?

My experience covers various industries, some that could not have been imagined to be battery powered, even a few years ago.  I have been working in the lithium battery field since 1999, starting as an engineering manager, developing small batteries for mobile phones and handheld devices. Over the years, as the technology evolved, I progressed to working on higher voltage and capacity batteries for delivery trucks, construction, military equipment and automotive applications. Working for companies developing both battery systems and battery management systems supplying a range of customers from Sony Ericsson, Kalmar, Hitachi Rail, Rolls Royce and McLaren for their P1 hyper car.

What motivated you to join Cosworth?

Cosworth presented me with a clear vision of where the company was headed and how they planned to get there. It was important for me to understand the company’s approach and ensure it aligned with my own personal and career goals. Cosworth had recently acquired Delta Motorsport, and it was crucial to determine how we could leverage that acquisition to scale the business and achieve our vision. We wanted to grow the battery side of the business, not just in terms of prototypes and one-offs, but also into the volume production of high-performance battery systems.

It was essential to build a sustainable and scalable model that didn’t rely heavily on engineering and consulting services. Cosworth’s vision was to grow at a sensible and manageable rate while staying true to our high-performance credentials.

Although my background was not in motorsport, I brought experience and knowledge from various sectors and quickly applied them within the scope of Cosworth. The clear vision, the opportunity to combine motorsport engineering excellence with industrial applications, and the impressive people I met at the company were the main factors that led me to join Cosworth. It was too good an opportunity and really a no-brainer decision for me.

Can you provide some insights into the key projects and customers that Cosworth works with?

While I am not able to disclose the finite details, I can mention a few projects and customers we’re working with. We have worked on high-performance road projects, including the Ariel Hipercar and we have a project in collaboration with The Norton Motorcycle Company. We are also working towards increasing our presence and developing partnerships with prominent OEMs in various industries, from the production of heavy-duty equipment, construction, high-performance marine, automotive, and motorcycles. This is part of our strategy to establish Cosworth as a supplier of high-performance battery systems for high performing applications.

Can you tell us how Cosworth’s battery roadmap is progressing?

Our main goal is to complete the development of our CSM (Cylindrical Scalable Module), which serves as a standardised format using cylindrical cells with the additional feature of liquid cooling. The CSM delivers high performance, by that I mean it enables rapid charging and high-power output. It’s designed for applications in electric or hybrid vehicles. The CSM is going through its final development phases, including use with some customers in real applications. By the end of the year, it will be fully tested, validated, and ready for volume manufacturing in 2024.

The CSM is based on standard building blocks, each holding 10 cylindrical cells, these are coupled together to produce CSM’s of different configuration which in turn are used to build battery packs of varying voltages and capacities. We also use CSM’s in our Modular Packs, currently we have two options, 44V and 88V.

These are our standard products and can serve as a development kits, allowing customers to test our technology in different applications and allows the adjust or both voltage and capacity according to their energy and power requirements. This approach helps speed up our customers electrification process whilst providing valuable feedback on different applications. Our goal is to launch these standard products later this year.

Beyond our CSM, we have also been developing immersive cooling methods. The aim is to provide an even higher level of cooling performance for lithium batteries, allowing for ultra-high charge and discharge rates. Last year, we made significant progress in understanding immersive cooling and the type of applications that would benefit from this technology. We will take this learning to develop more standard modules based on this technology in the near future.

This year we will be finalising the development of our Battery Management System (BMS). By the end of 2023, the BMS will be available as a prototype, undergoing a further six months of validation tests internally and with selected customer. By the middle of 2024, we aim to have a fully functional BMS that will be customisable for a variety of applications.

All of these products and developments, based on our extensive experience over many years, are leading us towards our primary goal, which is to provide high-performance, high-voltage customised battery systems for OEM and tier one customers. We want to have all the necessary baseline components ready, so that when a customer approaches us with energy storage requirements, we can quickly and efficiently build customised systems using our range of standardised components. Our vision for Cosworth is not to have a gigantic giga-factory, commonly referred to in the battery industry. Instead, we specialise in solving complex and challenging engineering problems related to high-performance customised batteries. We aim to establish strong relationships with our customers who trust us to meet their specific needs.

How does Cosworth’s battery roadmap fit in with our Vehicle System Integration (VSI) offering?

VSI is an essential aspect of our business. It’s not so much a product, but a service. VSI encompasses our traditional work at Cosworth, where we assist many of our customers, including those not already in the electric vehicle industry, in realising their needs for electrification.

A significant factor that sets Cosworth apart from its competitors is our deep understanding of integrating systems into various vehicle platforms. While we have primarily focused on sports and supercar applications in the past, the rise of electrification has expanded the potential for our Vehicle System Integration expertise to be applied in construction equipment, agricultural equipment, material handling, and much more. The key is our ability to bring together different components and systems in a cohesive and innovative manner. This capability in Vehicle System Integration is a crucial service we provide at Cosworth.

Furthermore, it’s important to note that our initial one-time Vehicle System Integration projects with customers can often lead to long-term collaborations. This upfront service assists us in developing battery systems that eventually transition into volume production, which aligns with our current business goals.

What are your thoughts on the future of battery technology?

Battery technology is a topic that garners a lot of attention, and there’s always talk about new revolutionary technologies that will replace internal combustion engines. However, it’s essential to approach these claims with some caution. Developing new technologies and chemistries in the lab is one thing but scaling them up for commercial availability and affordability is a different challenge.

It often takes several years, typically six to eight, to bring a technology from the lab to the market at a large scale. Moreover, introducing a new technology involves convincing the market and gaining acceptance, which carries inherent risks. OEMs, in particular, tend to be risk-adverse and prefer proven technologies with a stable track record. While there are new technologies on the horizon, it’s crucial to understand that their adoption will take time, especially in industries with conservative approaches like industrial and automotive sectors.

The future looks promising for battery chemistries, and advancements in areas such as battery management systems, electronics, over-the-air updates, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence will play a significant role. Additionally, developments in digital twins, which allow OEMs to model and optimise battery performance over a vehicle’s lifetime, will contribute to enhancing overall battery technology.

Batteries have already exceeded expectations in terms of their longevity. Focusing on areas like second-life use and recycling processes will become increasingly important as the industry grows. We shouldn’t limit ourselves to just full electric vehicles, there’s room for hybrid solutions that combine internal combustion engines, fuel cell technology, and hydrogen combustion. As the technology evolves, we’ll match the right solutions to the appropriate applications.