Volkswagen and chip manufacturer NXP cooperate to develop battery management system for MEB platform EV

Beijing time, October 20 news, according to 'Forbes' website report, Volkswagen is cooperating with chip manufacturer NXP (NXP) to develop a battery management system for the MEB platform EV. (Picture: Volkswagen MEB battery pack) Battery management system (BMS) is one of the key technologies in the field of electric vehicles. Although progress has been made in reducing battery costs, the battery is still the most expensive component in electric vehicles, and may become the most vulnerable component if not handled properly. Compared with traditional fuels, the energy density of batteries is still very low. NXP is working with automakers such as Volkswagen to use BMS to improve battery efficiency. Volkswagen selected NXP to build a battery management system for its EV platform MEB, which will support 75 different models of the Volkswagen Group's 9 car brands in the next five years. The ID.3 hatchback recently launched in Europe is the first model launched on the MEB platform, followed by the ID.4 crossover that will be launched at the end of the year. Audi's first model built on the MEB platform is the Q4e-tron, which is expected to be launched in the United States in 2021. The purpose of BMS is to track and manage the energy flow into and out of the battery pack, and to make predictions about the state of charge. Knowing this state of charge is very important in itself. It is not only helpful for the driver to judge the mileage that the battery can support based on the power display, but also for balancing the current driving task and battery power to maximize the use of the battery. More importantly, NXP BMS can also control the charge and discharge level of a single battery cell. Everyone may have encountered the trouble that the battery cannot be charged. One of the important causes of battery degradation is overcharging. One of the ways that automakers try to extend battery life is to set the upper and lower charge buffers. For example, it is stipulated that only 90% can be charged, and the battery must be charged if the battery is less than 5%, so as to ensure that the battery charge and discharge level will never exceed the limit. However, this means that the vehicle can only use 85% of the battery's full capacity, so the driving distance will be 15% less than when the battery is fully exhausted. It also shows that the car carries extra-weight batteries, but has never been used, which is tantamount to a waste of cost. (NXP Battery Management System) Measuring the state of charge more accurately can reduce these buffers, thereby increasing the range without damaging the battery. However, it is difficult to measure the state of charge. Unlike many old-fashioned consumer batteries, the voltage of lithium batteries does not show a straight downward trend as the power drops. It tends to remain relatively constant during most of the charge cycle. Therefore, the BMS includes a software model that can track the flow of electrons in and out of the battery to estimate the state of charge. The more accurate the electron flow measurement is, the closer the state of charge model is to the actual situation. Before NXP acquired Freescale (Freescale) and its processor business in 2015, the company's traditional business was mainly concentrated in the field of analog electronics. Simulation technology plays a key role in the development of modern BMS. NXP has developed a 14-channel analog device that can track and manage individual battery cells in battery packs as low as 1mV. The NXP BMS reference design can manage the charge and discharge levels of all individual battery cells in the battery pack. The 14-channel battery controller is the core of the system, which can control the charging and discharging of the battery cells individually. In this regard, NXP Chief Technology Officer Lars Reger (LarsReger) further explained, 'If it is a series battery, only after the series battery is completely exhausted, can the other series battery be further released, and the charge cannot exceed The charge capacity of the entire battery. Therefore, even if the power of two adjacent battery cells is different, the most full battery cell cannot be overcharged. But NXP’s battery management system will be able to balance the power levels of all battery cells, so It can be fully charged without overcharging a certain battery unit. 'In addition, when the remaining power can be accurately measured, it is also helpful for car owners to grasp the battery charge level. In fact, accurate measurement of battery charge status is conducive to setting the minimum buffer upper and lower limits, which will allow more economical vehicles to use smaller batteries without sacrificing range and battery durability. Conversely, the same battery capacity can get a longer cruising range. No matter what, this will help improve the efficiency of electric vehicle batteries. The cooperation between Volkswagen and NXP is undoubtedly more conducive to the expansion of its MEB platform electric vehicles. (Tianya) Disclaimer: Some pictures and content of articles published on this site are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete.