An Advanced Battery Management System for Lithium Batteries

Lithium batteries have excellent capacity, although they require careful management to avoid catastrophic damage. As a result, there is extreme interest in developing a Battery Management System (BMS) to take advantage of the positive attributes of lithium chemistries. Most of the lithium battery manufacturers have developed various forms of BMSs, each with individual strengths and weaknesses. The lack of BMS standardization, and accurate state estimation algorithms, have hampered the widespread adoption of lithium chemistries in spite of the advantages they offer. We will determine the feasibility of developing a universal standard for lithium-based BMSs. We propose to develop a BMS which is compatible with all lithium-based battery types and provides SOC/SOL/SOH, cell balancing, and safe charge/discharge. Our focus is to develop a BMS which has excellent: (1) accuracy, (2) safety, and (3) cost. During Phase I we will evaluate the most recent algorithms and architectures, and most likely propose a universal hybrid algorithm capable of handling multiple lithium-based chemistries. We will conduct testing in the laboratory and evaluate algorithm performance with individual cells and modules obtained from our partners. During Phase II we will complete development and conduct HEV field testing at TRL 6 with our commercialization partners.