Eatron
and WMG win funding for project COBRA
A new partnership between Eatron Technologies and WMG has
been formed for the COBRA ('Cloud/Onboard Battery Remaining useful life
Algorithm) project, thanks to the funding from the Faraday Battery Challenge.
The COBRA project will create new algorithms which will
estimate the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) in an Electric Vehicle (EV) battery,
and could contribute to the UK becoming a supplier of the most advanced Battery
Management Systems (BMS) in the world.
The innovation of project COBRA comes from combining
advanced battery ageing models developed by WMG with Eatron Technologies' own
machine-learning-based approach to Remaining Useful Life (RUL) estimation from
existing internal R&D work.
The technology has been refined to a level of usability,
reliability, and maturity that gives battery manufacturers and integrators the
confidence required to enable mass adoption.
Undertaken by a team of highly experienced engineers with a
track record of delivering state-of-the-art software and system solutions for
electrification projects with the automotive sector, project COBRA will:
· Develop a unified physics and
machine-learning-based approach for battery RUL estimation with high accuracy
of over 90%.
·
Integrate a developed solution in
automotive-grade BMS hardware.
·
Integrate a solution into cloud-based platforms
for fleet operation services.
The funding from the Faraday Battery Challenge enables lead
partner Eatron Technologies to put the UK on the map as a global leader in the
design, development, and manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles. The
COBRA project offers the opportunity to be first-to-market with an accurate RUL
algorithm that can be implemented in a real-world BMS.
As part of project COBRA, Eatron Technologies is currently
developing and integrating advanced battery diagnostics algorithms for its next
generation of BMS and cloud-based battery analytics; it's expected that these
will deliver significantly higher value both to battery manufacturers and
integrators as well as electric vehicle Original Equipment Manufacturers
(OEMs), UPS suppliers, and other providers of off-highway applications.
In terms of the usefulness of these technologies, the
possibilities offered by project include: predicting the RUL of a lithium
battery under real-world operating conditions, COBRA technology will work with
both off-board fleet data analysis and on board vehicle data while integrating
with the BMS and guide battery manufacturers and their cell suppliers.
All of this can be used to track and assess the real-life fleet
performance of batteries during product validation and post-production phases.
In wider terms, successful adoption of these new BMS features would ultimately
also increase the value of the EVs and their uptake on UK roads`
As well as extending a batteries' first life by giving an accurate indication of a battery's remaining life, COBRA will also improve second-life applications by reducing the need for expensive testing, as well as increase the effective power of batteries by allowing the safe utilisation of a wider operating window.
Dr Dhammika Widanalage from WMG, University of Warwick
comments:
“We are delighted to work with Eatron technologies on the COBRA project, and
look forward to using our novel battery ageing technology to test out their
algorithms in their battery management system.
“If their algorithms means consumers can get more out of
their EV battery, then it’s possible more people may be inclined to buy one,
therefore helping the UK pave the way to a cleaner greener zero-carbon future.”
After months of discussion with interested customers around
the world, intelligent software provider Eatron Technologies found there exists
a strong demand for the features that the COBRA project can offer in batteries
for EVs. COBRA could contribute to the UK becoming a supplier of the most
advanced Battery Management Systems (BMS) in the world, as well as contributing
to an increased uptake of EVs which in turn will help nations around the globe
to reach environmental targets over the coming decades.
"This funding has brought the project forward by 12
months, and there is huge demand from potential customers," said Dr Umut
Genc, Managing Director, Eatron Technologies. "With the funding, we've
been able to immediately hire additional software engineers as well as tapping
into cutting-edge battery research from the team at WMG. Ultimately, grant
funding this project de-risks the activities required to achieve feasibility of
this highly innovative approach to RUL estimation.
Tony Harper, Challenge Director for Faraday Battery
Challenge at UK Research and Innovation, said:
“Since 2017 the Faraday Battery Challenge has been supporting the UK’s battery
companies to produce batteries that are more cost effective, more efficient,
charge faster and can easily be recycled. This new round of funding has
enabled us to support companies, like Eatron Technologies, across the battery
supply chain and build on the UK’s world class research and innovation.”
EVs on UK roads are set to see rapid growth, with 1.8
million expected to be sold in 2030, or 64% of total car sales, according to
the Faraday Institution. The accompanying acceleration in battery manufacturing
will drive a substantial increase in second-life applications, while the supply
for stationary applications could excess 200 gigawatt-hours per year by 2030.
This rapid adoption of EVs around the world will increase
global demand for BMSs over the coming years. Eatron Technologies is proud to
be seen as a forerunner in BMS technology by the Faraday Institute and hopes
that project COBRA plays an important role in the global fight for the
environment by making EVs more practical for fleet operators and drivers around
the world.
TÜRKÇE
WMG is a world leading research and education group, transforming organisations and driving innovation through a unique combination of collaborative research and development, and pioneering education programmes.
As an international role model for successful partnerships between academia and the private and public sectors, WMG develops advancements nationally and globally, in applied science, technology and engineering, to deliver real impact to economic growth, society and the environment.
WMG’s education programmes focus on lifelong learning of the brightest talent, from the WMG Academies for Young Engineers, degree apprenticeships, undergraduate and postgraduate, through to professional programmes.
An academic department of the
University of Warwick, and a centre for the HVM Catapult, WMG was founded by
the late Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya in 1980 to help reinvigorate UK
manufacturing and improve competitiveness through innovation and skills
development
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