Battery management system (BMS) developed by FEV can be used for hybrid or full electric vehicles.
Although FEV (fev.com/en.html) may be ordinarily associated with gasoline- and diesel-powered engines, the company recognizes that there are changes aborning in the whole powertrain area. Consequently, the firm has been pursuing electrification for a number of years, and has been operating its own fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) since 2010. In addition to which, it has worked on 65 electrified powertrain development projects and some 20 battery projects (for hybrids and full EVs).
As Dr. Michael Stapelbroek, FEV department manager, Hybrid and E-Mobility, puts it, “Our spectrum of competence consists of every phase of development, from the concept work and development of modules and battery packs to the manufacturing and testing of the battery and, eventually, the integration and certification for series production.”Â
To that end, FEV has developed a battery pack that is being used in a serial production plug-in hybrid vehicle. It has a capacity of 10 kWh and provides an electric range of about 30 miles for the vehicle.
A key element is the battery management system (BMS) that FEV has developed. Given the company’s experience, it is now on its third generation BMS.
The BMS consists of a central control system, a master circuit board and one decentralized measurement unit for each battery module, the slave circuit board. Stapelbroek said that hardware “together with optimized algorithms allows a very reliable and stable control of the battery.â€
Stapelbroek noted that the BMS is applicable for various types of battery systems. Â Â
