LG Energy, ADI tie up for fast-charging EV battery technologies

LG Energy Solution Ltd., the world’s No. 3 electric vehicle battery maker, joined hands with US chipmaker Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) on advanced fast-charging technologies to revive sluggish demand for eco-friendly cars by alleviating concerns about charging speed.

LG Energy said on Wednesday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with ADI to enhance its battery management total solution (BMTS).

The two companies agreed to jointly develop algorithms for precise measurements of the internal temperatures of EV battery cells for two years. ADI is set to supply high-performance battery management integrated circuits (BMICs).

“This (cooperation) is expected to lead to the development of advanced fast-charging technologies,” LG Energy said in a statement.

Charging speed is a key concern among potential EV consumers as battery and carmakers have improved safety and mileage issues.

TO MEASURE BATTERIES’ INSIDE TEMPERATURES

LG Energy plans to integrate its accumulated battery manufacturing and battery management system (BMS) capabilities with ADI's advanced impedance measurement technology to further improve its BMTS.

In electrical engineering, impedance is defined as the opposition of an electrical component to alternating current and voltage in a circuit. Since impedance varies based on the battery’s condition and age, the exact measurement of impedance is expected to provide precise information on the inside of the battery such as temperatures.

The existing devices cannot measure the exact temperatures inside of individual batteries in real time as they are attached to the outside of the cells.

That forces battery makers to set safe charging temperature standards conservatively, limiting opportunities to further enhance charging speeds, LG Energy, the supplier to major EV makers such as Tesla Inc. said.

CHARGING SPEED, PERFORMANCE, LONGEVITY

The South Korean battery manufacturer and ADI will develop electrochemical impedance spectroscopy solutions to address the issues by precisely estimating the internal temperature of individual battery cells, which do not need a separate temperature measuring device, for faster charging.

These solutions are expected to improve battery performance and longevity by enhancing the safety of fast charging and accurately assessing the charging and general status of the batteries, LG Energy said.

LG Energy and ADI would be an innovative case to apply a real-time impedance measurement case to analyzing EV batteries' internal status, if successful, as the technology is yet to be commercialized, according to the South Korean company.

LG Energy has been improving its BMTS capabilities. In March, it agreed with Qualcomm Inc. to develop advanced BMS diagnostic solutions based on system-on-chip integration.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com
 

Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.