Acculon Energy

Meet the Experts Series: Matt Volk, Battery Testing Lab Director

Welcome to our “Meet the Experts” series, where we shine a spotlight on the talented individuals driving innovation and success at Acculon Energy! Each post will take you behind the scenes to meet one of our incredible team members. Join us this week with Matt Volk, Acculon’s Battery Testing Lab Director. 

Contact: Betsy Barry
Communication Manager
706.206.7271
betsy.barry@acculonenergy.com

Meet Matt Volk:

I am pleased to talk with Matt Volk, today, who is the director of Acculon’s battery testing laboratory

Interviewer: Hello, Matt! Thanks for being the inaugural expert in our new series. To start off, can you tell us how you got started working in the battery testing lab?

Matt: Happy to be here and be the first…shall we say, victim. In all seriousness, I am happy to provide whatever insights I can into my career as part of Acculon’s evolution as a company and the role I’ve played over the past two and a half years. 

How I got started? Honestly, I stumbled into it. Like any other graduating college student, I needed a job. After graduating with my Electrical Engineering degree, I was willing to take just about any engineering job that would have me. I loved Columbus and a job in the city was at the top of my searches. I found a position open for a Jr. Test Engineer, and I applied and got the job. Initially, I had no intention of staying too long, but of course, plans change and, after more than ten years, I am now running the lab. It’s funny how life works.

Interviewer: I can also attest to the “funny how things turn out” fact of life. So, you studied EE in college. Can you share a bit more about your educational background?

Matt: Absolutely. Formally, I received my BS in Electrical Engineering from The Ohio State University. That degree gave me a lot of the fundamentals needed to begin a career in engineering.

However, I believe it is the real experiences in the field that matter more. Prior to graduation, I worked as an assistant to the head technician at Ohio State’s Electro-Science Laboratory. This provided me with a lot of the training that you do not receive in the classroom–technical skills, such as soldering and a small amount of machining. The lab was utilized by students and businesses alike so I got a wide range of experience interfacing with various customers of different backgrounds, ages, levels of authority, understanding, etc.

Once I got the job as a Test Engineer with the battery lab, my real education began. Yes, I had a degree in engineering but that really only gives you the basics to get your foot in the door. Once you are working in the field, it’s a whole different ball game, and boy did I learn. I was thrown into a large life aging program on day one, running both test equipment calibration and cell program setup. I had the privilege to work side-by-side with the lab’s founder and CTO/CEO Dr. Ken Dudek for over nine years, whose valuable insights and lessons will stay with me for the rest of my life. One of those lessons that I practice to this day is to “live with the data.” And as boring as that may sound, it essentially means to sit there and watch the paint dry. I could not tell you how many hours I have spent just watching batteries under test. Getting to observe batteries in action and learning how to understand their behavior has served me extremely well over the years. You start to gain insights into how a battery “should” be functioning and can catch when something is amiss before it becomes a real problem.

Typical Day as a Battery Testing Lab Director 

Interviewer: I really love the idea of “living with the data” and developing an intuition about it, which has got to be an occupational advantage when you spend as much time in a lab as you do, generating volumes of data in the process. So on that note, what does a typical day in your role as Battery Testing Laboratory Director look like?

Matt: Typical day? That’s one of the great things about working in the battery lab, there is no typical day. I usually map out most of my day when I get in and I’d say…maybe…10% of the time I actually get to follow through with my plan. With battery testing, there’s always a curve ball ready to be thrown your way.

That said, for the most part, a typical day can consist of the following:

I spend a couple of hours just on the lab itself. All tests running are manually inspected twice a day and either one of our test engineers or myself performs this task. I’ll typically look in on the crucial tests separately to validate for myself the status. This also includes my previously mentioned “living with the data,” mantra, something I still try to practice when possible.

I will have some form of sync up with my test engineers, sometimes short, sometimes long to set out the lab’s activities for the day and to discuss ongoing tests and results.

When I can find a little spare time, I try to read through research and scholarship, educating myself more either on the battery field or how to add to my knowledge base in related areas.

On the customer interface side, I will manage meetings, typically on a bi-weekly basis, providing updates on all testing being performed for them and going through new decisions that need to be made. Additionally, as updates or issues arise, I will reach out and provide immediate feedback to that customer, keeping them in the loop and providing the best paths to move forward.

From the salesmanship side, I will host tours of the lab, providing customers, potential customers, vendors, strategic partners (whoever!) with insight into how we run our operation and what makes us who we are. For potential customers, I will then work to generate quotes for them based on their requests and our capabilities.

To top it off, the day never truly ends. We are a 24/7 test lab. While I may call an end to my active work day, I’m always available in some form or other to support lab activities. I’d say at least 50% of the time I end up doing at least something in the evening related to testing, whether it’s checking on a job that calls for more observation, checking a test that has been completed, or dealing with some form of issue that has arisen. 

Interviewer: You’re a battery doctor, always on call! 

Matt: Haha, pretty much. My wife likes to joke that she married a farmer without a farm. My farm is just electrical in nature.

“What excites me the most is our outlook on the future of the lab. If you’ve read any of Acculon’s posts about our BMS, we have taken great strides in developing the entire system in-house: boards of our own design to handle lower voltage pack disconnects, in-board current measurements, & the like. Well, what if we could take all these advanced designs & merge them into the test rack? Rather than a large off-the-shelf shunt, you have a shunt board that could scale its accuracy based on what currents you were running–the possibilities are endless!”

– Matt Volk,
Battery Testing Lab Director

Innovations & Advancements in Battery & Testing Technology 

Interviewer: So, Acculon is known for its cell, module, and pack testing capabilities and our world-class battery lab is at the heart of this–and you are integral to this amazing aspect of our business. Can I ask you what you find the most interesting or exciting about working in this space?

Matt: I love getting to see the newest innovations and advancements in battery technology. Especially in automotive, working with the advanced battery team, I am working with cells slated for vehicles years in the future. Because of this timeline, these batteries have to be at the forefront of advanced technology. Through the years I’ve been involved with automotive and battery OEMs, I have been privileged to work with all kinds of battery chemistries, form factors, and sizes. I’ve gotten to work with lead-acid, solid-state lithium metal, ultracapacitors, and supercap lithium hybrid cells. I love being at the forefront of next-generation battery tech. 

Interviewer: Speaking of battery technology, it is evolving rapidly. Are there any trends or advancements in testing that you’re particularly excited about or think will be transformative for the industry?

Matt: As with all things tech, every year brings new advancements in testing technology. Every year I get to go to the NA Battery Show and see firsthand what new offerings there are, like increased accuracy, speed, and higher power equipment able to handle the new batteries moving into the market. That all said, I can happily say that with what we have been able to achieve in the lab, our testing equipment can still go toe-to-toe with the best out there. Now, that does not mean that we don’t have room to improve.

I think what excites me the most is our outlook on the future of the lab. If you’ve read any of Acculon’s posts about our BMS, we have taken great strides in developing the entire system in-house: boards of our own design to handle lower voltage pack disconnects, in-board current measurements, and the like. Well, what if we could take all these advanced designs and merge them into the test rack? Rather than a large off-the-shelf shunt, you have a shunt board that could scale its accuracy based on what currents you were running–the possibilities are endless!

Challenges & Important Skills for Testing Engineers

Interviewer: I love your enthusiasm on what is potentially coming down the pike to advance the lab’s capabilities. On the flip side of that, can you tell me about what challenges you encounter in your work, and how you and your team tackle them?

Matt: Failing batteries are always a challenge. The first thought that comes to mind is “What did I do wrong?” The nature of the game is uncovering what happened. We put a lot of effort in both monitoring all tests as they are running and performing routine analyses on the completion of tests. This allows us to determine that a test was run correctly, so we can accurately diagnose an issue, especially when it comes to a battery failing. 

Now, by far the most frustrating thing I encounter is the intermittent failures in the test equipment. And by that, sometimes there’s an issue and sometimes there isn’t. When a contactor starts to die, for example, sometimes it will fail once and then be fine for the next month. But this is not a guarantee. You just do your best to suss out the problem but sometimes you are forced to just wait things out, which can be a challenge. 

Interviewer: So a testing engineer needs patience. Good to know! What other qualities or skills do you think are most important for someone working in your field?

Matt: Obviously engineering skills are up there, and problem-solving skills and the ability to decipher and react to technical information and data on the fly, but there are also soft skills that are important as well.

Most engineers, including myself, are fairly introverted, or in my case, very. Don’t ask me why, it’s just how it works out. But even so, collaboration is a big part of being an engineer, and an even bigger part once you are managing something as complex as a battery testing lab. Whether it’s leading discussions with your team or presenting what you have done to another team, you have to be comfortable with communicating and people-centered tasks if you’re working in a battery testing environment. 

Another thing is a willingness to get physically involved. My job runs about 60/40 working on a computer and being out in the lab working with my hands. I’ve met with CEOs and I’ve been on my hands and knees screwing something together. Engineers do it all and you have to have a “roll up your sleeves and dive in” attitude.  

There are many others I’m sure but the last I’ll say is knowing your limits and knowing what you don’t know. Going back to what I previously mentioned about collaboration, you are never fully in it alone. No one can be an expert in everything and you should never pretend to be.

Advice for Future Battery Testing Lab Directors 

Interviewer: Finally, for someone interested in pursuing a career like yours, what advice would you give?

Matt: For my specific career, an education in engineering never hurts. If you can, intern somewhere where you can get your hands dirty. A lot of places just have you sitting at a desk all day. I feel like a well-rounded education is important. Pick up skills like soldering, learn to build something on your own, just getting in there and “doing” is important. 

Now for the overall: first and foremost, be open-minded. This isn’t specific to any particular career. Like I stated earlier on, I knew next to nothing about batteries and just decided to give this job a chance…and here I am more than ten years later. You never know what you are going to find and what is going to spur your interest–it could be something that you never considered–so go into any endeavor with a spirit of discovery and willingness.

The last bit I’ll share is something my mentor taught me, and that is to “be excellent.” That doesn’t mean being perfect, knowing all the answers, and never making mistakes. But approach everything with the intention to do your absolute best. Because every bit matters. When I am working on a project–whether it’s a million-dollar project or a thousand-dollar project–that project means something to someone, or else you wouldn’t have it in the first place. Put the same effort in. If you always do your utmost best, you can’t miss.

Interviewer: I love that sentiment, Matt! I feel like that is the perfect place to wrap up our interview. Thank you so much, Matt, for sharing your insights with us today. As always, it’s been a pleasure speaking with you. 

For those of you who have followed along with us this far, thank you for taking the time to read about one of Acculon’s incredible team members Also, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you would like any more information on battery testing and our lab’s capabilities, or to speak with Matt or one of our many talented engineers about advanced energy storage tech.