Pioneering EV trial results in advanced battery digital twin capable of predicting battery lifetime

By OEM Update Editorial September 30, 2021 7:04 pm IST

A world-first, real-life trial of electric vehicles, involving leading battery analytics specialist Silver Power Systems (SPS), EV manufacturers and academics, has brought closer the holy grail of battery modelling: accurately predicting EV battery lifespan.

With the rapid growth in electrification driven by the 2030 ban on new ICE sales combined with the battery being by far the most expensive component of an EV, it is critical for all sectors from OEMs and battery manufacturers to fleet owners and operators to understand how the battery is performing and predict how much it is likely to degrade over the vehicles lifetime.

Until now, predicting lifespan has been difficult. While digital models of EV batteries have been created, they have lacked accurate real-world data to back them up. What’s more, not all batteries are born equal, and not all batteries are treated equally throughout their life, degrading at different rates, subject to different drivers and charging routines, further underlining the need for real-world data to be combined with machine-learning based predictive technology.

Run over the last nine months, the pioneering REDTOP (Real-time Electrical Digital Twin Operating Platform) automotive research programme has sought to bring about a step change in battery understanding, with the objective of creating the world’s most advanced battery digital twin a highly-sophisticated virtual model, linked to a real battery.

Since January, some 50 LEVC TX electric taxis and a new EV sports car from the Watt EV Company have collectively travelled over 500,000km as part of the programme. Each vehicle has been fitted with Silver Power Systems state-of-the-art data-collecting IoT device, which constantly communicates with the company’s cloud-based software.

This crucial data has been analysed by SPSs machine learning-powered platform EV-OPS, and together with Imperial Colleges battery researchers, the world’s most advanced digital twins of actual EV batteries have been created, giving not just an unprecedented view of real-time battery performance and state-of-health, but also the potential to enable these highly sophisticated battery models to predict battery lifespan.

This really is the holy grail, explained Pete Bishop, CTO of Silver Power Systems. Understanding how an electric vehicles battery is performing right now and predicting how it will perform over the coming years is absolutely critical for many sectors. But to date there has been a lack of data and predictive modelling has been largely lab-based.

By combining a robust real-world trial with our EV-OPS machine-learning analytics capability through the REDTOP programme, we have not only been able to unlock an unprecedented view of real-time battery performance and state-of-health but also create the worlds most advanced digital twin enabling prediction of battery future life.

For more info, please visit: https://www.silverpowersystems.com/