Battery module for electrically-driven aircraft

A battery module configured to house multiple battery cells and prevent a battery cell fire or explosion from one battery cell from damaging neighboring battery cells, the battery module comprising:

• a housing;
• a plurality of cell tubes positioned in the housing, each of the plurality of cell tubes being configured to house no more than one battery cell within the cell tube, each of the plurality of cell tubes being open at a first end of the cell tube to allow access to an anode of one battery cell within the cell tube and open at a second end of the cell tube to allow access to a cathode of one battery cell within the cell tube;
• a top plate comprising a printed circuit board, the top plate having a plurality of openings and being configured to support each of the plurality of cell tubes at the first end of each of the plurality of cell tubes;
• a bottom plate having a plurality of openings and configured to support the plurality of cell tubes at the second end of each of the plurality of cell tubes;
• and
• a plurality of connectors configured to provide structural support and thermal isolation, each of the plurality of connectors having the same shape, each of a first set of the plurality of connectors being located at least partly between one of the plurality of cell tubes and one of the plurality of openings in the top plate, each of a second set of the plurality of connectors being located at least partly between one of the plurality of cell tubes and one of the plurality of openings in the bottom plate, the plurality of cell tubes and the second set of the plurality of connectors together forming a plurality of exhaust channels to direct a battery cell fire or explosion through the bottom plate to reduce a likelihood of the battery cell fire or explosion damaging any adjoining battery cells within neighboring of the plurality of cell tubes,
• wherein the plurality of cell tubes are supported by the second set of the plurality of connectors so that the plurality of cell tubes extend at least partly into the plurality of openings in the bottom plate.