3 Sectors That Can Benefit from Smart Cells

Advances in battery technology have a wide-reaching impact on a myriad of sectors, from aerospace and aviation to commercial energy storage. Intelligent battery management systems (BMS) and integrated sensing technologies are driving the ‘smart’ battery revolution and pushing the boundaries of battery performance.   

“A reliable battery management system (BMS) is critical to fulfill the expectations on the reliability, efficiency and longevity of LIB systems,” write the authors in an article published in the Journal of Power Sources.

Below, we take a closer look at the sectors that can benefit from smart cells.

Electric vehicles

Electric car uptake is on the rise, with analysts predicting automakers will spend a huge US$1.2 trillion on batteries and other EV tech by 2030. Smart cells will play an important role in addressing battery-related issues that have so far prevented the widespread adoption of EVs. This includes concerns over range, power, charge times and life cycle.  

In a breakthrough for the industry, battery technology giant Clarios has unveiled an exciting new battery with extraordinary safety features. It’s called the Clarios Smart AGM and is equipped with the capacity to monitor performance parameters in real time, as well as make adjustments to optimise power supply and delivery. Along with technologies like the use of static optics FTIR to monitor biofuels production, smart batteries will play an important role in decarbonising the transport sector. 

Clarios CEO Mark Wallace calls the new technology is a “game changer” and says it “combines the proven reliability, inherent safe chemistry and sustainability of AGM with the real-time intelligence of our Smart technology.” The goal is to enhance functional performance and safety in EVs. Clarios Smart AGM battery technology does this by:

• Monitoring performance in real time
• Identifying abnormalities at the earliest possible stages to prevent performance and safety issues
• Optimising power supply to improve performance
• Actively scheduling maintenance to extend the longevity of battery cells and packs

“The battery system senses, diagnoses and communicates the battery condition with the ability to support safety critical functions as well as anticipate required maintenance or replacement,” adds Clarios Vice President, Jason Searl.

Aviation and aerospace

Safety is one of the main concerns associated with all-electric aircraft. This is where smart cell technologies step up. In an article published in the journal Applied Thermal Engineering, the authors introduce distributed fiber optic sensors as an accurate and reliable method to capture thermal data in lithium ion batteries and heighten safety.

The team use a hybrid lumped-thermal-neural-network (LTNN) model to address inconsistencies in temperature distribution that often plague lithium ion batteries and make it difficult to capture accurate data. “Experimental results suggest that the proposed hybrid LTNN model captures the complicated thermal distribution of LIB with remarkably elevated accuracy, compared with the traditional lumped thermal model,” reads the paper.

Grid energy storage

Smart batteries aren’t just making a mark in the transport sector. They’re also being used for grid energy storage. At the University of Warwick, researchers are developing high-performance sodium-ion cells for grid energy storage applications.

Want to know more about what makes a battery ‘smart’ and how the technology is set to transform the energy sector? We cover everything you need to know in ‘What Are Smart Battery Cells? Definition, Applications & Advantages’.