Breathe begins a new collaboration with C-ALPS to accelerate the development of new and improved battery management software and sensor technologies.
Breathe Battery Technologies and Coventry University launch the 2-year HyTEChS-BMS programme. The Faraday Institution Industrial Fellowship award will fund Dr Tazdin Amietszajew’s work with Breathe.
Today, Breathe Battery Technologies begins a new collaboration with Coventry University’s Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems (C-ALPS) to accelerate the development of new and improved battery management software and sensor technologies. The software testing and sensor development being carried-out will create opportunities for the faster development of better-performing and safer electric vehicles and consumer electronics devices.
The battery management software being developed by Breathe is compatible with existing battery systems where only standard temperature, current and voltage sensors are available. This is an important enabler for the widespread uptake of next-generation battery management software on applications around the world, where the cost, space and weight penalties of additional sensors are prohibitive. Yet, improvements to the way sensors are designed, manufactured and installed, particularly during research and development, can deliver clearer and richer insights into the internal working conditions of the battery. The novel sensor technologies being developed at C-ALPS have the potential to improve how battery management software is developed and validated. This results in software which, when installed on the application’s battery management system, can better enhance features such as battery lifetime, charging performance and vehicle range.
“Battery internals present a harsh electrochemical environment during operation. As such, it’s challenging to obtain accurate in-situ sensor measurements, especially under heavy dynamic load or over the long timeframe of battery ageing", says Dr Tazdin Amietszajew, Associate Professor at Coventry University.
"If you’re developing battery management software and want to have a significant, beneficial impact on the battery performance and safety, you need to have a clear picture of what’s happening inside. This is why HyTEChS-BMS was conceived, why there’s great motivation to overcome the challenge, and why I’m excited to be working on addressing this with Breathe. At C-ALPS we have a track record of new developments in this field, and I’m thankful to the Faraday Institution for supporting the next stage of our work.”
The Hybrid ThermoElectroChemical Sensing for Battery Management Systems (HyTEChS-BMS) programme, funded by the Faraday Institution, will enable Dr Tazdin Amietszajew of Coventry University to carry-out part-time work over a two year period with Breathe. Robust sensing of internal battery operating conditions remains an industry-wide challenge. In recent years, C-ALPS has demonstrated itself to be at the forefront of the research which could unlock new opportunities, both for wider battery development and for the faster development of increasingly intelligent battery management software. The solutions developed as part of the programme will be applicable in the automotive and consumer electronics industries, and in other sectors where battery performance, longevity and safety are crucial.
Dr Yan Zhao, Chief Technical Officer at Breathe, said: “In 2019 the Faraday Institution’s Entrepreneurial Fellowship enabled Breathe to develop the PHI X2 battery model architecture, which is the foundation of our Breathe Charge and Breathe Life charging management software. Now, the learning from the Industrial Fellowship award will expand our portfolio of software validation methods and support the sales of our software for healthy fast-charging in applications around the world. At the same time, the Industrial Fellowship will help us continue to develop the best battery management software by providing even more clarity on the internal battery electrochemical processes that our software manages.”