Element
Energy
is
a Bay Area company that was founded in 2009 to develop
leading-edge technology for the management of multi-cell battery
systems.Our initial product is a cost
effective
hardware/software system that manages large lithium battery packs.Compared to conventional battery management
systems, the Element solution provides:
Significant
lifetime extension: Substantial increase in the service
life of a battery pack.
Cost Reduction:Multiple
opportunities
to
reduce
the
total
cost
of
ownership
of
a
large
battery
pack
by
using
less
expensive,
unmatched
cells;
using
fewer cells;and
reducing
warranty
expenses.
Improved
safety
and
reliability:
Better monitoring, fault detection, and
individual control and isolation of each cell.
The Element team has extensive experience in a wide range of
disciplines including:
Electrochemistry
Battery and pack manufacturing
Solar micro-inverters
Power Electronics
Software
Digital control and communications
Element
has
drawn
on
this
expertise to develop
system-in-package (SIP) chips and a system software stack that allows
cost-effective, dynamic software control of each cell continuously on
both
charge and discharge.The Element system
leverages the inherent flexibility and control of a software system and
the
continuously improving cost structure of semiconductors.
While
the
initial
product
focus
is on large lithium battery
packs, the Element technology is equally applicable to all battery
electro-chemistries, and, in fact, allows mixing of different
electro-chemistries in the same pack.
The
market
for
large,
multi-cell
battery systems
is growing rapidly, with applications as diverse as hybrid and electric
vehicles, renewable energy storage, load shifting for smart grid
applications,
emergency and back up power, etc.The
estimated world market for battery management electronics is $5 billion
by
2013.
