Photo: Marelli
A new step forward has been made in the world of electric vehicles by global independent automotive supplier Marelli with the introduction of a new state-of-the-art wireless distributed Battery Management System (wBMS).
Marelli’s new technology manages to do away with the wired physical connections necessary in other Battery Management Systems available now, thus bringing a series of advantages. Among the benefits brought forth by the new BMS architecture, we can mention greater flexibility, more efficiency and reliability, as well as reduced costs in electric vehicles.
The Battery Management System is an essential component of a battery pack in EVs. It is the brain behind the battery responsible for monitoring and managing safety levels, charge rates, performance, and longevity.
When the battery is charging, for instance, the electrical vehicle’s BMS determines how much current can go into the individual cells.
What Marelli’s solution does is to basically use wireless technology to enable the communication between batteries and the control unit, thus eliminating the need for daisy-chain communication and wiring. With the new technology, wiring harness is reduced by 90%, while battery cell construction and installation are greatly simplified.
The removal of connectors means reduced weight, which further translates into more energy efficiency. Moreover, the solution will allow for more space to fit larger batteries, again leading to improved power performance and extended vehicle range. What this means for the driver is that they will enjoy more power and greater driving range with the same charge.
Marelli’s wBMS will be implemented via a complex software application layer with advanced algorithms based on the company’s proprietary “Sensor Fusion.”
Said algorithms will estimate crucial parameters of each battery cell, like State of Charge, State of Health, State of Power, in order to transmit accurate information about the battery overall status to the other components of the powertrain.
“Wireless BMS is a real game-changer for the automotive industry, eliminating the need for the battery harness, wires, and connectors associated with the standard wired BMS systems,” declared Dr. Razvan Panati, Head of Power Electronics Technology of Marelli's Vehicle Electrification Division.
“Marelli designed both the wBMS and the Wired BMS with identical base architectures, supported by two different ways of communication and interfaces. In that way our technology can be applied across multiple vehicle platforms with minimal change.”
Marelli’s wBMS solution will be made available to OEMs beginning the second quarter of 2022, with customer launches expected in 2024.
The Battery Management System is an essential component of a battery pack in EVs. It is the brain behind the battery responsible for monitoring and managing safety levels, charge rates, performance, and longevity.
When the battery is charging, for instance, the electrical vehicle’s BMS determines how much current can go into the individual cells.
What Marelli’s solution does is to basically use wireless technology to enable the communication between batteries and the control unit, thus eliminating the need for daisy-chain communication and wiring. With the new technology, wiring harness is reduced by 90%, while battery cell construction and installation are greatly simplified.
The removal of connectors means reduced weight, which further translates into more energy efficiency. Moreover, the solution will allow for more space to fit larger batteries, again leading to improved power performance and extended vehicle range. What this means for the driver is that they will enjoy more power and greater driving range with the same charge.
Marelli’s wBMS will be implemented via a complex software application layer with advanced algorithms based on the company’s proprietary “Sensor Fusion.”
Said algorithms will estimate crucial parameters of each battery cell, like State of Charge, State of Health, State of Power, in order to transmit accurate information about the battery overall status to the other components of the powertrain.
“Wireless BMS is a real game-changer for the automotive industry, eliminating the need for the battery harness, wires, and connectors associated with the standard wired BMS systems,” declared Dr. Razvan Panati, Head of Power Electronics Technology of Marelli's Vehicle Electrification Division.
“Marelli designed both the wBMS and the Wired BMS with identical base architectures, supported by two different ways of communication and interfaces. In that way our technology can be applied across multiple vehicle platforms with minimal change.”
Marelli’s wBMS solution will be made available to OEMs beginning the second quarter of 2022, with customer launches expected in 2024.
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