Vitesco announces major orders for battery management system
German automotive supplier Vitesco Technologies has received several orders for its battery management systems (BMS), totalling more than two billion euros. These involve both the control units and the important software.
To an undisclosed customer, Vitesco will deliver control units for 400- and 800-volt batteries in a wireless communication version, according to the release. This will reduce the amount of wiring required for the modules inside the battery housing. The space not required in this way can be used for additional battery cells or simply saved – resulting in a more compact and lighter battery system.
Battery management is known to be essential for the operation of an electric car battery. It ensures, for example, that the charge level of all cells within the battery system is balanced and that the cells are charged and discharged evenly. It also protects the battery from overheating or other overloads – ensuring safe operation and the longest possible service life.
Vitesco states in the release that the core functions of its BMS are spread across two controllers. The battery management controllers contain algorithms that permanently monitor the state of the cells and modules. If these detect undesirable conditions, corrective actions are initiated.
The second type of controller is the Cell Supervising Circuits. They monitor the individual battery cells and equalize different states of charge, which can always occur in Li-Ion cells due to the manufacturing process, between the cells. “For this task, Vitesco Technologies is currently developing a new Active Cell Balancing process, which can enable a further efficiency increase of several percentage points,” said Rodrigo Peres, head of the Battery Product Line.
“With our modular software and hardware for battery management we can offer our customers tailor made solutions,” said Thomas Stierle, board member and head of the Electrification Technology and Electronic Controls business units at Vitesco Technologies. “In addition, innovations such as wireless communication with the battery modules enable advanced battery design, leading to reduced system costs for our customers.”
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