The quality of batteries affects many aspects of our daily lives: Will we arrive at our holiday destination in our electric car? Can we be reached on our smartphones? Does the hearing aid still have plenty of power late at night? Mohamed El Bahnasawi is working on making batteries smarter and more efficient as part of the EU Horizon Europe project ‘Battery Cell Assembly Twin (BatCAT)’. The aim is to use artificial intelligence to learn more about the processes in the batteries in order to be able to use them more efficiently in the future.

Mohamed El Bahnasawi is not a chemist or physicist, but a researcher in the field of artificial intelligence. How are he and his colleagues approaching their research into more intelligent batteries in the BatCAT project? He explains this to us: “We create a digital twin of the battery. Using this twin, we can model everything: from the chemical process to the manufacturing. The digital model allows us to simulate multiple scenarios without having to work with real batteries in the physical world.”
Demand for smarter batteries is steadily increasing: “As batteries power a growing range of technologies, from smartphones to electric vehicles, improving their efficiency without increasing their size is essential. For example, smaller, more durable batteries could extend the range of electric vehicles or enable slimmer, more efficient smartphones. Progress in this field is rapid.” Artificial Intelligence provides the means to make predictions for the future based on historical data. The same should be possible for batteries, as a way of predicting their future behaviour and condition. To obtain the data, sensors and intelligent software must be implemented to help us understand the battery’s condition and the effects on its overall life cycle.
One important aspect of the project, which is funded by the European Union, is ‘explainable AI’. Mohamed El Bahnasawi elaborates: “Deep Learning is highly efficient. However, in many fields, events occur between data input and output that we cannot explain. We call this Black Box. The European Union is restrictive in this regard: We need to be able to describe and explain what the AI is doing. For us, this means finding a compromise between explainability and performance. We need a model that is explainable and also works very well.” Eighteen partners in nine European countries have been working on this since January 2024. The project is led by researchers at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. At the University of Klagenfurt, Martin Gebser (Department of Artificial Intelligence & Cybersecurity) and Kyandoghere Kyamakya (Department of Smart Systems Technologies) are responsible for the project.
Mohamed El Bahnasawi is a member of the research staff working on the project and is also writing his doctoral thesis as part of his work. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation Engineering at Egypt’s Nile University. A semester abroad took him to the University of Applied Sciences in Wels, Upper Austria. Eventually, he decided to enrol in the master’s degree programme in Information and Communications Engineering / Autonomous Systems and Robotics at the University of Klagenfurt as an OeAD Scholar. He then went on to combine the full-time degree programme with a full-time job: For one year, he worked as a hardware development engineer at AT&S in Leoben for his master’s thesis. He has been employed as a pre-doc researcher in the BatCAT project since June 2024.

.flex_column.av-eupesp6-3a400a1ba61dc92bbacbe87cea16b833{
border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding:25px 25px 25px 25px;
}

#top .av-special-heading.av-m3igvb9q-7380929381a52021730a3123623c066d{
margin:0px 0px 0px 0px;
padding-bottom:0;
}
body .av-special-heading.av-m3igvb9q-7380929381a52021730a3123623c066d .av-special-heading-tag .heading-char{
font-size:25px;
}
.av-special-heading.av-m3igvb9q-7380929381a52021730a3123623c066d .av-subheading{
font-size:15px;
}

A few words with … Mohamed El Bahnasawi

Do your parents understand the things you are working on?
My parents know that I work with artificial intelligence, specifically using AI to improve battery technology, and they have a general overview of what that involves. I try to explain my work in simple terms, focusing on the purpose rather than the technical details.
What is the first thing you do in the office each morning
I start by meeting my colleagues for coffee. Then, I review my notes and daily tasks, aligning my work with our project’s objectives to stay on track.
Who do you regard as the greatest scientist in history, and why?
I consider Al-Khwarizmi the greatest scientist in history. He not only founded algebra but also introduced algorithms, shaping the way we approach mathematics and computation today. His contributions laid the groundwork for modern science and technology, influencing countless fields beyond his own era.
Do you go on proper holidays? Without thinking about your work?
I really try to take a complete break and enjoy my time off, but sometimes I need to check on work if something important comes up. It’s good to step away so I can come back feeling relaxed.
What makes you furious?
I get frustrated when there’s a lack of open-mindedness or willingness to learn. Innovation and progress require curiosity and a readiness to explore new ideas.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to making a real impact through our research in AI and battery technology. It’s exciting to think that our work could help build a better, more sustainable future.
Der Beitrag Revolutionizing Battery Technology: AI and the Future of Energy Storage erschien zuerst auf University of Klagenfurt.