GM to debut wireless battery management system for brand’s future EVs

MANILA: General Motors (GM) will be a forerunner in the utilization of a nearly complete wireless battery management system (wBMS) for the production of electric vehicles (EVs).

The wBMS, which Analog Devices, Inc. has developed, will be a standard on all Ultium battery-powered GM vehicles moving forward.

The wBMS is projected to drive the Ultium-powered EVs of GM to be rolled out rapidly to the customers, as ample time will not be required in redesigning complicated wiring schemes or in building specific communication systems for each new car.

Instead, wBMS virtually guarantees the optimization of Ultium batteries across the future lineup of GM, which involves various vehicle categories and brands — from heavy-duty trucks to performance vehicles.

Almost similar to GM's Ultium battery pack design, which is modular enough to integrate new chemistry through time as technology evolves, the basic structure of wBMS can easily obtain new features as software becomes accessible.

With extended over-the-air upgrades that the GM all-new vehicle intelligence platform provides, the system can be improved in time with new software-based attributes through smartphone-like upgrades.

GM Executive Director of Global Electrification and Battery Systems Kent Helfrich said, “Scalability and complexity reduction are a theme with our Ultium batteries — the wireless battery management system is the critical enabler of this amazing flexibility. The wireless system represents the epitome of Ultium’s configurability and should help GM build profitable EVs at scale.”

The wBMS is expected to aid the EVs of GM in balancing chemistry within the separate battery cell groups for maximum efficiency.

It can also perform real-time battery-pack health assessments and remain focused on the system of sensors and modules if required. This helps in protecting the health of the battery throughout the lifespan of the vehicle.

Through the lessening of wires in batteries by up to 90%, wireless technology can further expand the charging range. This is through the production of lighter cars overall and the opening of additional space for more batteries.

The versatility and space that this wire reduction makes not only allows a cleaner configuration but also simplifies and streamlines the restructuring of batteries as well as enables manufacturing processes to be more robust as required.

This wireless system also offers a distinct repurposing feature for the reuse of batteries in secondary applications more conveniently compared to traditional wired monitoring systems.

When the capacity of the wireless packs are lowered to the point where they are no longer suitable for maximum vehicle performance, but still useable as constant power supplies, they can be merged with other wireless battery packs to develop clean power generators.

This can be accomplished without a revamping or repair of the battery management system conventionally needed in second-life utilization.

The wBMS of GM is under the protection of cybersecurity guidelines that are fundamental to the all-new electrical design or the vehicle intelligence platform of the company.

The DNA of this specific system has protective attributes that are within the software and hardware layers, which include wireless communication protection.

Senior Vice President of Automotive, Communications, and Aerospace and Defense of Analog Devices, Inc. Greg Henderson shared, “General Motors is paving the way toward an all-electric future, and Analog Devices is proud to work with this highly respected automotive leader on the next generation of electric vehicles. Our collaboration is aimed at accelerating the transition to electric vehicles and a sustainable future.”

Photos from General Motors

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