Increasing need of EV Telematics in E-mobility Era - the vital role of Battery Data !

Managing electric vehicle batteries is a challenge : But, what if you could monitor your EV batteries across entire vehicle fleets - directly from your own cloud server? Below we detail the EV battery industry, trends, the urgency/benefits of battery telematics - and how to get started with the CAN based electric vehicle data logger.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY (EVB) INDUSTRY : Electric vehicle (EV) batteries are growing fast! Over the coming 20 years, this battery market is expected to grow beyond $240-360 billion as electric cars target a 40-60% share of global vehicle purchases (or up to 60+ million units per year). And that’s just within cars! Below we outline some basic facts & figures, the main EV types and the key EV battery types.

KEY FACTS & FIGURES

• Overall, electric car battery (EVB) sales are to grow from ~1 mn units in 2017 to ~60+ mn in 2040 (CAGR of ~20%)
• Further, electric two-wheelers (bi-cycles, scooters, motorcycles) may grow from 40 mn sold per year in 2017 to 85+ mn in 2040
• China is the #1 market with 70%+ global EVB market share by 2020
• EVs will account for 54% of new car sales by 2040 and 0.5 billion (33%) on-road light duty vehicles
• In 2040, EVs are to drive 67% of new car sales in Europe, 58% in US and 51% in China - today, they already drive 37% in Norway
• Growth is driven by a 70%+ price reduction per kWh for li-ion batteries (2010-17) - with another 70%+ expected by 2030
• 2018 top 5 lithium-ion manufacturers are Panasonic (33%), BYD (18%), LG Chem (17%), Samsung (9%) and Wanxiang (5%)

Electric vehicle types (incl. market size & growth) : Overall, the global annual sales of these EV types may go from the current ~40 mn in 2017 to 150+ mn in 2040 - completely changing the automotive & two wheeler markets.

Electric vehicle battery types (incl. market size & growth) :

Lead Acid: Deep-cycle lead acid batteries represent a fairly mature and low cost technology. However, they also require frequent replacement and have a very low energy density (30-40 Wh/kg). Use cases incl. forklifts, bi-cycles and cars.

Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH): Also seen as a mature technology, this EV battery type comes with a better energy density than lead-acid (30-80 Wh/kg) and offers exceptional life-time. However, they are less efficient and have a number of other downsides.

Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion): Today, li-ion batteries are used in most EVs due to their 200+ Wh/kg density and strong efficiency specs. Recent variants reduce costs massively, while boosting lifetime towards 10-40 years.

Fuel Cells: Fuel cells play an increasing role in powering e.g. electric forklifts, with big players like Walmart and Amazon making the shift. They replace or work with a rechargeable battery and are emission-free, generating only heat and clean water. Advantages include faster recharging, lighter infrastructure, temperature stability and better life-time costs.

THE VITAL ROLE OF BATTERY DATA :

Battery Management System (BMS), acting as the "brain" of the battery"

The BMS is an electronic system that integrates with rechargeable batteries to monitor critical data parameters. These include e.g. state, voltage, current and temperature.Based on the data, the BMS performs vital tasks:

• Keeping the battery inside it's safe operating area
• Monitoring & reporting the battery state (SoC, SoH, ...)
• Balancing cells to ensure a similar state of charge
• Prolonging the life of the battery
• Communicating with e.g. chargers or external devices

ROLE OF BMS IN CHARGING:

In lithium-ion batteries, overcharging can lead to overheating - potentially resulting in catastrophic events. Conversely, discharging the battery below e.g. 5% capacity can lead to permanent capacity reduction. In both cases, the BMS manages the charge to avoid thresholds being passed. An example of a more advanced use of BMS is in “intelligent batteries”. Here, the BMS provides data to an “intelligent charger” on the battery’s specs, condition and usage history - allowing the charger to perform optimal charging. In automotive context, the BMS needs to be able to communicate with other sensors and ECUs in the vehicle

As CAN based system is the standard in automotives, it's also the de facto standard for EV batteries. As such, it's possible to record data from the BMS of most EV batteries using a CAN based data logger. Specifically, batteries often rely on the CAN bus protocols SAE J1939 or CANopen - providing data on a range of parameters, e.g. temperature, pack voltage, cell voltage, current, errors, SoC. In general, EVs will require more data and as such.

THE 4 ENABLING TRENDS OF CLOUD BATTERY TELEMATICS

Today, most EV batteries are "closed systems": The EV batteries generate tons of invaluable data - but the data is not truly utilized. However, just like the rising trend of connected cars, there is a rising demand for connected batteries.

1.Rise of EVs: As EVs rapidly grow towards 2040, there will be a need for integrating battery telematics into commercial vehicle fleets - across trucks, vans, buses, forklifts, AGVs and more. As this market matures, so will the use of battery telematics. 150+ mn EVs by 2040 (vs 40 mn in 2019).

2. Rise of Cloud: Like vehicles, batteries provide tons of data that need storage and fast processing - but with the rise of cloud servers, this becomes increasingly simple & low cost. Cloud computing also enables far more advanced BMS methods. $300 bn public cloud market in 2021 (vs ~150 bn in 2019).

3. Rise of IoT: Collecting battery data via WiFi / 4G has previously been costly and difficult. However, the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) now also brings low cost CAN IoT devices that easily enable the transfer of the battery big data. 5+ bn B2B IoT devices by 2021 (vs ~2.5 bn in 2018).

4. Rise of AI: Finally, the use of advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for EVBs has been beyond the existing BMS systems - but with the full set of big data in the cloud, next level battery optimization will be possible - and key to stay competitive. 50%+ CAGR in AI enterprise market (~$1 bn in '19 to $30+ bn in '25)

"The continuing proliferation of and advances in information and communication technologies, development of powerful cloud computing capabilities, and a growing Internet of Things will significantly enhance or even transform the concept of battery management, as modeling and control of thousands of cells in large-scale battery storage will become easier." Amit Kumar, Sr. Manager - Quality

In short, cloud battery telematics is becoming increasingly feasible. But why do it? Below we list 9 major strategic benefits:

TOP 9 BENEFITS OF BATTERY TELEMATICS :

1.OPTIMIZE CHARGING: By monitoring near real-time data on the state of charge (SoC) of e.g. a fleet of warehouse forklifts, a battery fleet manager may implement advanced opportunistic recharging flows to reduce vehicle down-time.

2. IMPROVE BATTERY LIFE: By spotting abnormal data patterns, spikes, sub-optimal charging, overheating, low temperature and other drivers that may reduce battery life, users may take action as soon as a pattern is observed, before it’s too late.

3. REDUCE BATTERY BREAKDOWNS: By monitoring vital parameters like current and temperature in e.g. a lithium-ion battery frequently, it’s possible to predict cases where thresholds are exceeded early to avoid e.g. lithium plating or thermal runaway.

4. RESOLVE DISPUTES VIA “BLACKBOX”: As a battery OEM, recording all battery data to a remote server can be beneficial in quickly and professionally resolving disputes regarding potential misuse leading to battery malfunction or damages - in particular useful if a catastrophic event has happened (explosion, fire, …).

5. OFFER SUPERIOR SERVICE: Battery OEMs can add strategic data-based services, using frequent data from their client’s battery usage to consult on e.g. personalized battery configuration for client environments and charging best practices - or proactively suggest win-win battery replacements/upgrades.

6. IMPROVE TIME TO MARKET: For battery OEMs, real-life battery data is critical in R&D and product development. By embedding a data logger in e.g. a large portion of sold batteries, OEMs will be able to radically speed up development, improve learning & increase experimentation.

7. EASE COMPLIANCE: In some cases periodic manual battery inspections are required to ensure compliance - but with a telematics solution, all relevant data will be readily available in the cloud for easy sharing, saving time and improving compliance.

8. TROUBLESHOOT REMOTELY: As an OEM, sending technicians to a remote warehouse can be extremely costly - but by analyzing the relevant battery data in the cloud, an OEM may be able to remotely diagnose and resolve issues, reducing vehicle down-time and FTE costs.

9. OPTIMIZE OPERATOR BEHAVIOUR: By implementing data based KPI dashboards, OEMS or fleet managers will be able to provide guidance to end users (e.g. forklift operators or battery maintenance crew), helping them towards optimal handling of the batteries.

EV BATTERY TELEMATICS APPLICATION EXAMPLE :

1.MONITORING FORKLIFT BATTERIES : Example - LeadBats Co is a battery manufacturer, producing batteries for use in electric forklifts.As part of their battery offering, they install a CAN WiFi CAN data logger in all batteries to record BMS data while the batteries are in active use at customer warehouses. The devices connect via warehouse WiFi WLANs and send the data to the OEM's cloud server. Using over-the-air updates, the OEM is able to update device configurations and firmwares with a few clicks - key for e.g. remote troubleshooting. Further, the popular server & data APIs allow for easy automation of the large data sets. For easy access to the raw data, the OEM provides end users with access to their own custom branded version of the free open source CANcloud browser tool - creating a simple portal for managing devices & data. With outset in this platform, the OEM adds various high-value services like custom reports, optimization analyses & dashboards.

2. FIELD TESTING PROTOTYPE EV : Example - ELECTRA is a high-profile electric car manufacturer with big ambitions. To meet the aggressive ELECTR A4 release date, the OEM needs to deploy & monitor a large prototype fleet. To collect data from their field testing, the OEM installs a CANedge2 (with a DB9-USBpowered 4G hotspot) in each car. The device combines raw CAN bus logging with OBD2 requests to create a comprehensive dataset. This data is sent in 1 MB packets to the OEM's cloud server for analysis. From here, the OEM can analyze diagnostic trouble codes, battery performance and quickly identify issues. By gathering data at a massive scale, the OEM greatly speeds up the development and release the ELECTRA4 on-time. For the OEM, data integrity and security is key. A vital feature of the CANedge2 is therefore the ability to log data to the SD card (i.e. buffering it) when it is outside 3G/4G coverage - meaning zero data loss. Further, data is securely uploaded via HTTPS - while WiFi/server details are encrypted on the SD.

HOW TO GET STARTED WITH BATTERY TELEMATICS?

Getting started with cloud battery management can seem difficult - but it doesn't have to be. Below we list three early considerations to make before implementation - and recommended next steps: 3 EARLY STAGE CONSIDERATIONS :

1.IS YOUR BATTERY CAN BASED?

Practically all EV batteries are based on CAN bus (similar to all vehicles). If your battery is CAN based, you'll be able to record data using a standard CAN bus data logger. We always recommend verifying the specific bus type with technical staff.

2. CAN YOU CONVERT YOUR DATA?

Raw CAN data has to be "scaled" to become readable. To do so, you'll need a 'conversion rule database' (aka DBC file). If you're a battery OEM, your technical staff will have the conversion rules - if not, you may reverse engineer this or get it from the OEM. For EV cars, you may be able to log OBD2 data.

3. HOW WILL YOU COLLECT DATA?

For very small scale use cases, a standalone CAN logger with SD card can be used to collect data. However, for fleets and frequent data transfer, automation is key - and we strongly recommend a WiFi enabled CAN logger.

Once you've reviewed the above, we propose below next steps to get started:

1. Select a CAN bus data logger for trials
2. Design a small proof-of-concept (incl. a very narrow use case)
3. Do a PoC on data collection, conversion & processing
4. Develop a bare-bones application script PoC in the cloud
5. Scale the PoC to a full segment (BU, country, warehouse, ...) and review
6. If successful, scale up step-by-step in breadth and use case sophistication