Engineering groups from the University of Tennessee received two of the seven grants awarded by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative. 

The Center for Transportation Research’s project, Building Platform for Development of Automotive Cybersecurity Testing received a $500,000 grant. The University of Tennessee Space Institute’s project, Safety Limit Prediction of Degraded Lithium-Ion Batteries for the Automotive Industry received a $100,000 grant. 

TNECD announced Thursday it has awarded a total of $2.9 million in grant funding through TNGO, which serves as a tool to diversify the state’s economy by leveraging both public and private sector assets to attract mobility research and development (R&D) investment to Tennessee.  

• CTR’s project—the Platform for Automotive Cybersecruity Testing (PACT)–includes the development of an advanced research infrastructure for rigorous testing in controlled environments to enhance the security and reliability of automotive systems in response to increasing cyber threats. The initiative seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical cybersecurity research and practical, real-world applications in the automotive industry.  

PACT is a collaboration of UT-Oak Ridge Innovation Institute (UTORII), academic institutions, and industry partners with key components that include advanced testing facilities, a collaborative research network, industry partnerships, comprehensive data analysis, and workforce development.  

“This project will fill a need for original equipment manufacturers, Tier 1 suppliers, and startups to test their products for cybersecurity vulnerabilities that we have identified through conversations with industry partners,” said CTR Director Kevin Heaslip. “This facility will be a shared resource for research, workforce development, and ultimately the state’s economic development goals.” 

• UTSI’s project will provide useful insights into battery and thermal management systems and mitigate electric vehicle battery safety accidents.  

A major challenge faced by electrical vehicle (EV) industry is thermal runaway, where side reactions among battery components can occur internally under abused conditions, such as over-heating, over-charging, collision, and internal short circuits. These reactions release not only heat but also flammable gases and particles that can induce combustion and fire, leading to thermal runaway propagation on a larger scale, which can directly threaten lives and properties.  

Meanwhile, lithium-ion batteries suffer from degradation from cycling. Different drive cycles and operation conditions induce different types of cell degradation and lead to internal material change. The safety limit of degraded cells is not clearly understood and lacks prediction tools. The UTSI team will evaluate the safety limit and thermal runaway behavior of degraded cells from different drive cycles, and design modeling and prediction tools.  

“We need to clearly identify the safety limit of degraded cells before we can better utilize them,” said Peng Zhao, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering. “I am very excited to receive the TNGO grant, which promotes my work on battery thermal management and safety. This program stimulates long-term research and workforce development through external collaborations, including automotive industry partners and local community colleges.” 

The selected TNGO projects exemplify how Tennessee can lead in industry-driven and collaborative mobility R&D and will serve as catalysts to attract additional industry-related R&D investment to the state. 

Each proposed project aligns with Tennessee’s key automotive and mobility technology strengths and opportunities outlined in a 2022 mobility assessment report from Guidehouse Consulting.  

An external committee, comprised of four state agencies as well as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Tennessee Valley Authority, LaunchTN, and TennSMART, reviewed and scored the project applications. Based on the scoring rubric, the committee determined the top ranked projects for TNECD’s grant committee to recommend and approve for funding.   

“For decades, Tennessee has been a hub for manufacturing, which is something we will always be proud of, but thanks to our great partnership with the Tennessee General Assembly, we’ve been able to make strategic investments in programs that will further diversify our business environment to attract research and development companies that will ultimately create higher-quality jobs for Tennesseans,” said Gov. Bill Lee. “Our state is fortunate to have a vast network of educational institutions that are training the next generation of workers, and we want companies to know that Tennessee is not only a place for manufacturing but a place that can support the entire mobility supply chain.” 

Contact 

Rhiannon Potkey (865-974-0683, rpotkey@utk.edu)