How can we see what is happening inside a battery while it is in use? This question has guided the NEMO project from the start. As the project draws to a close, its final video brings together the main results in under three minutes.

In the video, project coordinator Md Sazzad Hosen, Research Professor at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), explains how the consortium built on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS is a non-destructive characterisation technique. It provides physical information about the battery that is valuable for developing performance, safety and ageing models and algorithms.

Hardware: a next-generation battery management system

At hardware level, NEMO integrated cell-level EIS chips into an advanced battery management system (BMS). The next-generation BMS also combines wireless communication, active balancing, improved signal acquisition and greater computational power.

To validate both the hardware and software developments, the consortium manufactured two types of 48 V module, called zBMS and zBMS+. These modules use EIS boards for impedance measurement, signal acquisition, active balancing and wireless communication, together with industry-scale microcontrollers.

Software: understanding battery states

On the software side, NEMO developed battery state algorithms alongside physics-based models built on the pseudo-two-dimensional (P2D) approach and purely data-driven models:

• SoX algorithms estimate the battery’s state of charge, health, safety, temperature, energy and power. They are based on equivalent circuit models derived from battery characterisation data and are implemented in the BMS.
• P2D models draw on the electrochemical parameters of the cells.
• Data-driven models use years of battery cycling and calendar life data.

Results and next steps

The project set six objectives and, according to the coordinator, has achieved almost all of its objectives and KPIs. NEMO ends at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4.

The path to market is not yet complete. The software and hardware solutions now need to be upscaled, validated and demonstrated in a real-world setting.

With these foundations in place, NEMO’s results are ready to move from the lab towards real-world demonstration, helping make batteries better understood, safer and longer-lasting.

“As coordinator of the project, it was a pleasure to work with all the partners, and it was a very successful collaboration.” – Md Sazzad Hosen, NEMO Project Coordinator, VUB

Collaboration enquiries are welcome at info@nemoproject.eu

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