Wireless battery management could add EV range, downsize packs

LG Innotek, a unit of battery supplier and electronics giant LG, has introduced a wireless battery management system (BMS) it claims will boost EV range.

Introduced in February, and first spotted by Charged EVs, the system is the first to marry wireless battery management with 800-volt electrical architecture, LG Innotek claims. The company aims to have it in production by 2024.

LG Innotek wireless battery management system

A wireless setup eliminates lots of physical hardware, such as wires and connectors, improving efficiency, LG Innotek claims. This can save up to 198 pounds of vehicle weight and free up 10-15% of battery pack space, allowing for greater flexibility in battery design according to the company, which claims to have seen improvements of up to 12 miles in EV range.

Reduction of cables and connectors also removes potential failure points, and makes packs less complicated to assemble, potentially allowing for higher degrees of automation in vehicle assembly, LG Innotek claims. The company believes these attributes will soon have automakers switching to wireless battery management.

GM electric pickup silhouette – from 2020 Ultium platform preview

“According to industry sources, it is expected that major global automobile companies will adopt a wireless BMS in earnest starting the year 2024,” the company said.

General Motors is the first to have embraced the idea of a wireless BMS on a large scale—for its Ultium EV platform—with a system from Visteon. That, GM has said, would make it possible to more easily replace modules as the pack ages, or to fit an entirely different cell/module without redesigning the whole pack. GM co-developed its large-format pouch cells with LG and has said that it’s open to different cell formats.