GM is unveiling today its new wireless battery management technology that will power its third-generation electric vehicles equipped with Ultium batteries.
Earlier this year, GM unveiled its new electric strategy based on its new Ultium modular battery platform that will power a series of new electric cars starting with the Cadillac Lyric.
Now GM reveals more about its Ultium technology, as it claims to have the first “almost completely wireless battery management system”:
“General Motors will be the first automaker to use an almost completely wireless battery management system, or wBMS, for production electric vehicles. This wireless system, developed with Analog Devices, Inc., will be a primary driver of GM’s ability to ultimately power many different types of electric vehicles from a common set of battery components.”
The automaker clams that it will enable it to more easily upgrade battery cells:
“The wBMS is expected to drive GM’s Ultium-powered EVs to market faster, as time won’t be needed to develop specific communications systems or redesign complex wiring schemes for each new vehicle. Instead, the wBMS helps to ensure the scalability of Ultium batteries across GM’s future lineup, encompassing different brands and vehicle segments, from heavy-duty trucks to performance vehicles.”
GM also talks about more easily deploying new battery management software — though that’s already quite common in the industry.
They shared two pictures of a battery pack with the wBMS technology:
Kent Helfrich, GM executive director of Global Electrification and Battery Systems, commented on the new technology:
“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 automaker claims that the wBMS technology reduces wires within the batteries by up to 90 percent — resulting in either lighter or more energy-dense battery packs.
GM says that “all planned GM vehicles powered by Ultium batteries” will have this new technology.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
