LG Innotek, a leading provider of components for electric vehicles, announced on February 9 that it had successfully developed a Wireless Battery Management System (Wireless BMS) that dramatically improves battery performance. The BMS is an essential control system for electric vehicles, monitoring factors such as voltage, current, and temperature to optimize battery life and performance.
The wireless BMS developed by LG Innotek is embedded with a Radio Frequency (RF) communication module, which combines essential components for wireless communication, such as a RF communication chip and antenna, into one unit for the first time in the world. With this product, the company has demonstrated its competitiveness to occupy the rapidly growing wireless BMS market in advance.
One key advantage of the wireless BMS is that it reduces the weight of vehicles equipped with a BMS. By removing cables connected to the BMS, the weight of a vehicle can be reduced by 66 to 198 pounds. Eliminating dozens of cables and connectors required for a BMS also reduces both the weight and volume of a battery pack, freeing up an additional 10 to 15 percent of space for increased battery capacity.
LG Innotek has confirmed that a wireless BMS can increase the mileage of an electric vehicle by up to 12 miles, making it a highly desirable component for global automobile manufacturers. In addition to improving mileage, a wireless BMS enhances the reliability of the product by removing the possibility of a cable or connector failure due to vehicle vibration. The assembly of a battery pack, previously conducted manually due to the complexity of cable connections, can now be automated using a robot, achieving cost reduction.
The company’s new product employs 800V, the highest voltage among commercially marketed BMS’s. As charging duration decreases with increasing voltage, domestic and overseas automobile makers are expected to adopt 800V as their voltage system for electric vehicles. LG Innotek’s wireless BMS also features an RF communication module that is compatible with all types of communication chips, making it easy to apply to all electric vehicles produced by clients.
LG Innotek plans to begin mass production of the wireless BMS in 2024 and will actively conduct promotional activities targeting major domestic and overseas automobile manufacturers starting in the first half of this year. The company also plans to develop an Electric Vehicle Charge Controller (EVCC) wirelessly, leveraging the technology it acquired during the development of the wireless BMS.
According to industry sources, major global automobile companies are expected to adopt a wireless BMS starting in 2024, and the size of the global related market, which was only USD 7.16 million in 2022, is expected to grow drastically to USD 1.1 billion in 2028.
Yoo Byaeng-kuk, Vice President of the Automotive Components & Electronics Business Unit, said, “We will continue to release next-generation automotive electrical components that provide differentiated customer value, and expand our global foothold as a total solution provider in near future.” LG Innotek’s new wireless BMS is poised to take the lead in the rapidly growing market for electric vehicle components, offering significant benefits in both performance and cost.
