Battery storage system for an automobile

A method of manufacturing an enclosure for enclosing batteries in an automobile,

• the method comprising:
• forming a housing that has housing walls including a bottom wall, and first and second sidewalls that extend upwardly from the bottom wall to a top end of the housing, and first and second end walls that extend upwardly from the bottom wall to the top end, wherein the top end defines a housing opening, and wherein each of the housing walls has an inner surface such that the housing defines a storage cavity for storing battery cells, and an outer surface, and the inner and outer surfaces are spaced apart from each other to define a core cavity,
• wherein forming the housing comprises:
• forming a liner that is a unitary seamless liner that defines the inner surface of each of the housing walls and thus the storage cavity, and that also defines coolant channels disposed adjacent to storage cavity which are configured to be fluidly sealed from the storage cavity, wherein the coolant channels are formed along the inner surface of one or more of the housing walls,
• wherein the liner is one of:
• compression molded, injection molded, or thermoformed, and
• wherein forming a liner includes heating a continuous and seamless plastic sheet, attaching via vacuum adsorption the continuous and seamless plastic sheet to a mold that is shaped as the storage cavity, and cooling the continuous and seamless plastic sheet;
• providing an outer shell that defines the outer surface of each of the housing walls, wherein the outer shell is one or more of:
• inductive for charging the battery cells within the enclosure;
• and
• configured for transmission of radio-frequency signals therethrough;
• filling the core cavity with foam;
• forming coolant inlet and coolant outlet ports through the housing in sealed fluid communication with the coolant channels;
• and
• forming an electronics feed-through port through the housing;
• and
• releasably connecting a lid to the housing opening, thereby defining the enclosure.