Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology - July 2021
A better battery (Analog Devices)
2021-07-21 03:48:50
Smarter battery management systems are helping to get more mileage out of EV batteries and create a more sustainable future
New, wireless battery management systems are bringing disruptive change to the industry, which are maximizing performance and enabling batteries to be better able to support both extended EV driving ranges and autonomous vehicles’ sensors.
Built upon existing components of the wired BMS, the wireless battery management system (WBMS) recently developed by Analog Devices, eliminates the need for the wire harness that connects the battery cells together, which saves engineering design and development costs, as well as the associated mechanical challenges and complexity of the wire harness.It also allows the battery pack design to become highly modular and scalable so it can be reused across multiple car designs. Also, because each battery module is wireless, data can be collected and stored from the time the cell is formed through storage, assembly, and use within the vehicle, enabling state-of-health calculations that can set a residual value for the battery pack. This reduces the cost of a battery and enables a more efficient second use (or a second life), such as in storage, recycling, or other applications. It also reduces the overall cost to the manufacturer and vehicle owner, as well as limiting environmental impact.
The broader adoption of EVs could act as a vehicle for environmental change. According to Analog Devices, in 2019, vehicles equipped with the company’s BMS technology saved approximately 75 million tons of carbon dioxide per year – a carbon reduction capability equivalent to 80 million acres of mature forest – by operating without the need for an internal-combustion engine while leveraging precise battery performance measurement.
Batteries worn down from EV use are not worn out if the battery cells were well managed over their life. Breaking down EV batteries for reuse in energy storage solutions can be a key factor in delivering electricity to of grid communities. Access to affordable electricity could eliminate the need for unsafe cooking fuels to improve indoor air quality and health. Electricity can power lighting to allow children to study after dark. Equipment to supply clean water and sanitize wastewater can be done mechanically, and digital communications via internet access can be made available. In just these few examples, battery second life has the potential to spark economic development gains once thought not possible.
Wireless battery management can collect and store data from the time the cell is formed, through storage, assembly, and vehicle use. That data can be used to set a residual value for the battery modules, enabling second-life use for energy storage and other applications.
Therefore, the precision of battery management systems is an even more important consideration for vehicle manufacturers, while second life application owners, such as energy storage system manufacturers, will also benefit from the wireless technology. The technology not only supports OEMs but can help create an entirely new industry and business models around battery recycling.
Twenty years ago, Analog Devices first introduced precision power and other measurement solutions to the automotive market for internal combustion engines, which is now playing a major role in its development of electric vehicle battery technology.
“We’re combining our silicon solutions with increasingly sophisticated mathematics to be able to make sense of the real world, including battery management systems where transformative change is increasing by orders of magnitude every few years,” says Vincent Roche, president and chief executive officer.
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To learn more about Analog Devices, visit: www.magupdate.co.uk/PEHV
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