- Mercedes is experimenting with multiple-chemistry battery packs which have a couple of sort of cell.
- A brand new sort of micro-converter and hooking up the battery cells in parallel not in sequence makes this attainable.
- This innovation will enhance battery pack efficiency, modularity and house effectivity.
Whereas the small print surrounding the impressively environment friendly new electrical CLA have been an important information we obtained whereas in Stuttgart final week, Mercedes-Benz additionally gave us a glimpse at what it’s cooking up for the longer term. Among the many many inventions we have been proven on the occasion known as Mercedes Future Expertise was a brand new sort of energy converter that enables for far more management over a battery pack than ever earlier than.
Its programmable micro-converter could be wirelessly managed and embedded into the battery pack and managed wirelessly. This enables for management on a person cell pair, permitting for a lot finer adjustment of the cost that goes into every one. For this method to work, the cells should be related in parallel, not in sequence, which unlocks new potentialities.
As an example, a automobile with this method might steadiness the cost in its cells much better than at present’s EVs. It might detect and isolate broken cells with out affecting all the battery pack, and it might additionally permit for a way more correct battery well being test, which might simply be capable of pinpoint drawback cells and test their particular person parameters.
This new sort of micro-converter can even maintain the overall battery pack voltage fixed whatever the state of cost. It usually varies with the state of cost.
Mercedes explains that “analysis outcomes present it’s attainable to offer a relentless HV output of 800 volts, whatever the state of cost and the state of well being of the person cells. The output voltage of this automobile battery is now not depending on the variety of cells related in sequence. The quantity is set purely by the specified efficiency and capability class.”
If this makes it into manufacturing, it might additionally permit for far more modular battery packs than what we have now in at present’s EVs, leading to extra environment friendly use of house. It might assist automakers minimize prices by making use of elevated standardization and modularization when utilized on a big scale.
Throughout a spherical desk discuss with Mercedes’ Chief Know-how Officer Markus Schäfer, we requested about the opportunity of utilizing a number of chemistries throughout the identical battery pack, particularly each LFP and NMC cells. Schäfer advised us “Sure, that is precisely the thought, to combine and match,” and he confirmed that the opportunity of an LFP and NMC pack is within the playing cards. He didn’t say once we might see such a pack in a manufacturing automotive provided that this innovation remains to be within the very early phases of testing.
LFP (brief for lithium iron phosphate) batteries can higher take common quick charging all the way in which to 100%, exhibiting much less degradation than NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) batteries. Additionally they have higher thermal stability and are extra reasonably priced. Nevertheless, NMC batteries can retailer extra present and are most well-liked for large-capacity battery packs that energy long-range EVs. Having each in the identical battery pack would have a number of benefits, profiting from each their strengths.
