Simulate
Simulate is The Voltt's virtual battery cycler.
It lets you compare cells side by side under realistic conditions — from constant power loads to dynamic duty cycles — without waiting months for physical testing.
Powered by About:Energy’s advanced electro-thermal models, Simulate captures key effects such as hysteresis, reversible heating, and thermal coupling. The result: accurate predictions of both electrical performance and thermal behavior across a wide range of scenarios.
Key Features
Mission and Load Flexibility
Simulate allows you to run two types of studies:
- Dynamic mission profiles – Use pre-loaded cycles (such as quadcopter or automotive drive cycles) or upload your own CSV.
- Fixed load conditions – Apply constant current, C-rate, or power to test runtime and temperature response.
Uploading custom duty cycles is simple: select time-series data (time + current/C-rate/power), extend or repeat it, and save it for instant use in simulations.
Run Virtual Battery Tests Using Real-World Data
Simulate is powered by our in-house test facility in London, where we generate high-precision data under controlled conditions. This enables you to analyse drive cycle responses, predict end-of-life performance, all without waiting months for physical results.
This helps you answer key questions such as:
- Which cell can complete my mission profile?
- Should I choose a pouch or cylindrical battery pack?
- Does the Molicel P60B outperform its predecessor P50B?
The Simulate tool allows you to:
Create Custom Mission Profiles
- Upload Custom Drive Cycles: Import your own drive cycle data or use our pre-set ones.
- Real-World Conditions: Simulate actual operating conditions with varying temperature, cooling and SOC
- Cut-off Conditions: Set voltage, temperature, or time-based cut-off criteria
Analyze Performance Results
- State-of-Charge Tracking: Monitor SOC evolution during simulation
- Voltage Response: Analyze transient voltage behavior under different loading conditions
- Heat Generation: Calculate and analyse thermal effects
- Efficiency Analysis: Evaluate energy efficiency and losses
- Aging Effects: Simulate degradation and capacity fade
Visualise and Export Results
- Interactive Plots: Generate detailed visualizations of simulation results
- Data Export: Export simulation data for further analysis
- Comparison Reports: Compare results from multiple simulations
- Powermap Integration: Use Powermap for comprehensive power capability analysis
Powered by our Advanced Models
- Electrical Model: Equivalent Circuit Model (ECM) for fast, accurate electrical behavior simulation
- Lumped Thermal Model: Thermal coupling for heat generation and temperature
Lifetime and Aging Effects
Simulate also incorporates degradation to model end-of-life performance.
By adjusting capacity fade and resistance increase, you can see how a cell’s electrical and thermal behavior changes from beginning-of-life to end-of-life conditions.
Simulation Inputs
Configure your simulation with these key input parameters:
| Input Category | Parameter | Options/Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select Cells | Cells | From Cell Library | Choose battery cells for simulation (Maximum: 4) |
| Environment Conditions | Ambient Temperature | 25°C (default) | Operating environment temperature for the lumped thermal model |
| Heat Transfer Coefficient | 50 W/m²K (default) | Thermal cooling efficiency. Reference values: 5-15 (Natural convection), 10-100 (Forced air cooling), 500-2000 (Forced water cooling), >10000 (Approximates isothermal) | |
| Initial Conditions | Initial SOC | 100% (default) | Starting state-of-charge |
| Initial Cell Temperature | 25°C (default) | Starting cell temperature | |
| Termination Conditions | Min. Pulse Voltage | 2.5V (default) | Minimum voltage cutoff |
| Max. Temperature | 80°C (default) | Maximum temperature cutoff | |
| Cell/Pack Configuration | Configuration Type | Cell (default) | Single cell or pack configuration |
| Series | 1 (default) | Number of cells in series (Applies to pack) | |
| Parallel | 1 (default) | Number of cells in parallel (Applies to pack) | |
| Degradation | Capacity | 80% (default) | Capacity fade percentage |
| Internal Resistance | 150% (default) | Resistance increase percentage | |
| Dynamic Cycle | Cycle Type | Track_Nurburgring | Pre-defined or user uploaded mission profiles |
| Load Type | C-Rate | Loading condition type (Can be C-rate, Current or Power) | |
| Cycle Type | Cell | Mission profile scope (Can be Cell or Pack) | |
| Fixed Rate | Load Type | C-rate (default) | Fixed loading condition |
| Operation | Discharge (default) | Charge or discharge operation | |
| Fixed Rate | - | Add additional or moodify fixed rate loads |
Common Use Cases
- Drone applications – Compare runtimes at different power levels, assess heating, and evaluate endurance under quadcopter cycles.
- Automotive drive cycles – Test cells against WLTP, FTP, or custom profiles.
- Thermal design – Evaluate maximum cell temperatures under different cooling conditions.
- Aging studies – Compare beginning-of-life vs. end-of-life performance with degradation multipliers.
Version History
| Version | Release Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 23 Sep 2025 | First release of documentation |