Like a conductor guiding an orchestra, a battery management system (BMS) regulates an electric vehicle’s power storage. Until now, it has relied only on measurements of individual cells—such as voltage, current, and temperature—while aging or damage could only be assessed indirectly through complex external calculations.
In the EU-funded Nemo project, Graz University of Technology (TU Graz), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and industry partners developed smart models and algorithms that allow battery safety, lifespan, and performance to be monitored directly within the vehicle system. Their study is published in the Journal of Power Sources.
Preventing Risks
“The battery management system is a key tool for making electric vehicles safer and more sustainable,” says Christoph Drießen from the Vehicle Safety Institute at TU Graz. He explains that early detection of faults and damage in individual battery cells through the BMS can help prevent many hazards, while tracking each cell’s aging also enables smarter control that can significantly extend battery life.
At TU Graz’s Vehicle Safety Institute, the team concentrated mainly on battery safety. At the institute’s Battery Safety Center, researchers tested cells that were mechanically deformed, such as in simulations of parking damage.
Lab data trained the models, enabling the BMS to detect damage and signal maintenance needs. They used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to measure internal electrical resistance in battery cells while operating in the vehicle, enabling detailed internal data collection.
Insights Into Internal Aging Processes
In addition, researchers at Graz developed a model that forecasts how battery cells change in volume during charging and discharging. Excessive expansion increases stress and can cause cracks or deformation, so this approach helps prevent short circuits and thermal spikes.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel developed the aging and lifespan models, and integrating them into the BMS improves on earlier and external testing methods.
According to Drießen, “Until now, testing only showed how much capacity had declined compared to the original state. The new models show how cells age internally, enabling improvements in performance, durability, and safety.
A Demonstrator Serving as a Prototype for Mass Production
Despite adding several new functions, the improved BMS would not become significantly larger or heavier than existing systems. However, incorporating EIS measurements requires additional sensors and appropriate integration into the BMS architecture.
To showcase the new technologies, a follow-up project will focus on further development and their transition toward industrial use. A module-level demonstrator has already been built within the current project to support this effort.
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