Interview: Batteries Are the Problem/Battery Management Is the Solution

Head of Qnovo Projects Future EV Pathways

Batteries are where the discussion starts—and often ends–whenever the future of electric cars is the subject. The evolution of the automotive battery, moving rapidly from lead-acid to a variety of lithium-ion configurations in less than 25 years, has been remarkable. During that same period the energy density of the typical battery had increased while the cost and size has decreased. It’s put EVs on the map as cars that can replace an internal combustion engine vehicle for many purposes with the promise that during the next decade cost and functionality parity is in sight.

Nadim Maluf, CEO of Qnovo, is an expert in the field of battery management who is leading his company into the brave new world of fast-charging. He spoke recently at the Western Automotive Journalists’ “Silicon Valley Reinvents the Wheel” conference. Clean Fleet Report followed up with him to get his take are where EVs and batteries are heading and what to expect in the near future.

Range, Charging and Cost

 Here are his main points:

“Batteries are getting better, but are still the critical component that makes or breaks an EV for consumers,” Maluf said. He expects lithium-ion batteries to remain the industry standard for the foreseeable future. They will remain expensive, he said, and make or break consumer decisions on EVs. He cites Tesla’s great range and robust charging infrastructure, along with the car’s dynamic performance, as an example of how electric cars will be able to challenge the incumbent internal combustion engine models.

 “What remains missing is longer range, faster charging and lower price,” Maluf said, summing up the challenge ahead for the EV industry.

The tools to improved batteries and consumer EV experiences (and solving the longer-faster-lower challenge) are battery management systems (BMS) like those from his company, Qnovo, Maluf offers. Incremental improvements in battery technology or waiting for breakthrough  battery technologies are two traditional approaches automakers are leaving behind as they turn to BMS that can bridge the gap between the performance demands and the battery capabilities for range, charging and cost, according to Maluf.

Because software advances outpace the progress in hardware like batteries, Maluf suggests relying on the software of a BMS to advance the customer EV experience. Dealing with critical battery issues such as fast-charging and cold temperatures are best solved with a BMS. Similarly, a well-designed BMS can work with a thermal management system to extend the capability of a battery.

Maluf, who has a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Stanford and a career with a variety of companies, co-founded Qnovo to take the software concept of adaptive charging from concept to product. Adaptive charging optimizes the rate and degree of charging to maximize battery life while still delivering the speed of charging expected by consumers.

In addition, Maluf believes battery analytics software will create safer batteries and help move batteries to new levels of performance without having to wait new technologies to be developed. The mass production of current batteries has brought prices down while energy density has increased, but BMS promises to keep the consumer face of batteries moving forward as well.  Maluf sees in the near-term a variety of different electric car applications offering different ranges, charging capabilities at different price ranges. He expects capabilities to improve in all three areas, but automakers may diverge in what areas they emphasize.