General Motors has developed a wireless Ultium battery management system in partnership with automotive electronics supplier Visteon that will debut in the 2022 GMC Hummer EV.
The majority of lithium-ion vehicle batteries utilize a wired battery management system to monitor the state of charge and oversee battery health. A traditional wired system uses copper wires that physically connect to each of the battery’s cells – a design that can be unreliable and also costly. Visteon and GM wanted to improve on this design, Automotive News reports, and put their heads together to develop a wireless management system that is less complicated, lighter and less expensive to produce.
GM and Visteon’s wireless system uses a wireless transmitter connected to each of the Ultium battery’s individual cells. These modules communicate with a central module, relaying critical information about the cells’ state of charge and overall health.
Visteon’s system is modular, the company told AN, which will allow GM to easily utilize the system in different battery-electric products. The wireless battery management system will debut in the 2022 GMC Hummer EV, which is set to enter production later this year, but it’s very likely that other Utlium powered GM products will also utilize this technology.
“Scalability and complexity reduction are a theme with our Ultium batteries – the wireless battery management system is the critical enabler of this amazing flexibility,” GM’s director of electrification and battery systems, Kent Helfrich, said in a statement. “The wireless system represents the epitome of Ultium’s configurability and should help GM build profitable EVs at scale.”
While the wireless battery management system is simpler and lighter than a traditional wired system, there is one potential drawback: security. A wireless network could theoretically be hacked into, making cybersecurity an important part of the Ultium battery pack design. GM’s advanced cybersecurity measures will protect the brains of the Ultium system from outside attacks, keeping eco-minded motorists and their batteries safe from hackers.
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Comments
Given the modules are encased in a metal box inside the pack I have to imagine getting a signal inside the pack would be pretty difficult. Just because the modules are wireless doesn’t mean wireless signals exit or enter the pack itself. The packs’ transceiver could be inside the pack with only wired connections coming out to connect with the rest of the vehicle.
Visteon if full of ex-Ford acolytes and spies who still have ties to Ford! They are worse than China! TRAITOR BARRA SABOTAGES gm AGAIN!!!!!!!!1
You really should to lay off the meth
You really should lay off the meth
Oh yeah, I could see this wireless system lasting the life of the battery and never having a problem……….I will also bet that the low life hackers are just drooling over a new challenge to make life miserable for other people. Finally, think “Onstar”.
Liberal hackers have been helping our enemies hurt America for a long time. Wireless charging and Onstar will only make it worse. We need to go back to gas. Military invasions in the middle east are much easier and cheaper than all this EV crap.
I can see this article brought out all the feigned worry-warts.
In point of fact ALL the large battery manufacturers are going to this ‘microwireless’ system since it drastically reduces the amount of troublesome connectors required…
It doesn’t take a genius to shield the system against hackers since the battery complex is generally in only one place on the vehicle, and a simple Faraday Shield should keep prying eyes out.