Technology
Element has developed a
novel, patent-pending system architecture for the management of
multi-cell energy storage arrays. 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.
Technical Advantages
- Since the Element system continuously optimizes
both
charge and discharge for each cell, the service life of the pack is
determined by the average of all cells, rather than the life of the
weakest cells.
- Unlike with conventional battery pack designs, with
Element's battery management system, the pack designer need not select
cells that are carefully binned and matched. Moreover, while in a
conventional pack the impedances of cell interconnections must be made
very uniform, Element's technology compensates for cell interconnection
impedance variations. As a result, less expensive cells with
wider performance variation can be used, and pack design and
manufacturing costs can be reduced.
- By design, a pack with Element's battery management
system can provide a stable, regulated output voltage over a wide range
of operating conditions. This capability can eliminate the need
for external DC-DC converters and enable reduced component costs in
motor controllers.
- Since with Element's system, cell differences are
managed continuously by software, it is possible to combine various
electro-chemistries, or even ultra-capacitors, in one multi-cell pack.
- Software control allows for easy field update of
both
charge and discharge profiles.
- Individual cell monitoring and control allows
effective management of fast-charge protocols.
- The Element system captures complete data on every
cycle of every cell in service. These data will be invaluable for
cell and pack producers, as well as systems developers.
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