Battery Management – Vitesco technologies advance the key function of electric driving.
Vitesco Technologies has recently secured several orders worth more than €2 billion for its innovative Battery Management Systems (BMS). One of Vitesco Technologies’ major contracts will already deliver a wireless communication version of the battery control units for the 400V and 800V BEV architecture.
This particular innovative solution reduces the amount of wiring inside the battery, saving space and improving range capability by using a larger battery or reducing the size and weight of the battery that would otherwise be used.
Battery management is a key function of electric driving: Intelligent BMS solutions consisting of control units, sensors and application software protect the battery from overheating and ensure a balanced state of charge of all cells. This is essential for safe operation and long battery life. In other words, with its many individual functions, the BMS protects the single largest and most valuable system in an electric vehicle.
thomas stierleMember of the Executive Board and head of the Electrification Technology and Electronic Controls business units of Vitesco Technologies, said:
With our modular battery management software and hardware, we can offer our customers tailor-made solutions.
“In addition, innovations like wireless communication with battery modules enable advanced battery design, lowering system costs for our customers.”
Battery management: a “hidden champion” in the electric car
The main functions of BMS are divided between two types of control units in the Vitesco Technologies portfolio. The first is the battery management controller that permanently monitors the status of the cells and modules.
It can trigger corrective action within the battery when an undesirable operating condition is detected to deliver maximum range and battery life.
This is accomplished by using a high voltage sensor to monitor and control high current flows into the battery. In the event of a crash, the BMS also activates the electrical isolation of the battery from the rest of the car.
Cell monitoring circuitry is a second type of controller that monitors and balances the charge levels of individual battery cells (something that can always happen with lithium-ion cells due to manufacturing tolerances).
rodrigo pereshead of Vitesco Technologies’ battery product line, said:
For this purpose, Vitesco Technologies is currently developing a new procedure for actively balancing cells (hence: active cell balancing), which can generate another efficiency gain of the order of several percentages.
Thomas Stierle, Executive Board Member and Head of Vitesco Technologies Electrification Technology and Electronic Controls Business Units, said: “The number of BMS orders we have received in recent weeks and months reflects the relevance of our solutions. We have signed contracts with high-volume global manufacturers, with premium automakers and with start-ups, in all relevant markets.”
As a generic development, the Vitesco Technologies BMS modular portfolio is already prepared to facilitate the integration of its functional parts in other control units.
With this, Vitesco Technologies anticipates a trend in electric and electronic vehicle architecture: to reduce the number of devices by using fewer control units with much higher computing power and complex software systems.
Reflexes:
- Basis for further profitable growth in the electric mobility business: battery management orders worth more than €2 billion
- Contracts with high-volume global manufacturers, premium automakers and start-ups in all relevant markets
- Battery management systems increase the range of electric cars, ensure safer operation and contribute to longer battery life.
- Innovation: Wireless communication simplifies battery design, saves space and opens up new possibilities in electric vehicle development
READ the latest battery news shaping the battery market
BATTERY MANAGEMENT: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES ADVANCE KEY FUNCTION OF ELECTRIC DRIVING, Regensburg, October 5, 2022