The Stuttgart-based automotive supplier Mahle has developed a solution for quickly diagnosing the condition of electric vehicle batteries. It is a special combined charging and diagnostic device that allows the mechanic in the car workshop to read out data on the health of the car's batteries via the charging socket within ten minutes.
This measurement is independent of the data provided by the vehicle manufacturer via the OBD diagnostic interface, where vehicle faults are normally read out. This not only provides the car mechanic with more information. The measurement is also completely neutral from the manufacturer.
Evaluate data independently
The Dresden-based software developer Volytica Diagnotics has developed a cloud structure to evaluate and interpret the read-out data, which is then made available to the user. This enables the car mechanic to identify a possible need for repair relatively quickly at an early stage. "Testing companies, owners, fleet operators and workshop networks have to date been exposed to a massive lack of transparency in terms of battery quality and thus vehicle value. Up to now, it has hardly been possible to reliably evaluate battery data and communicate the status quo of their batteries to owners of e-vehicles," says Claudius Jehle, Managing Director of Volytica.
See also: Renewable charging instead of fossil fuels
"This paralyses the further market ramp-up of e-mobility and the decarbonisation of the transport sector. At the same time, such a test must not take long and must be affordable. This is exactly where we come in with our technology," she goes on to say, explaining the necessity of the solution now being developed.
Battery becomes predictable
This has already been in test operation at a large operator of a vehicle fleet since the beginning of 2022, supported by TÜV Nord Mobilität. Mahle expects to launch the diagnostic solution on the market at the end of 2022. "With this, we are making the battery a fully calculable variable and thus creating future security for independent workshops in the mobility transition," emphasises Olaf Henning, member of the Mahle Group Management. With this new development, the company is opening up new, future-proof business fields for independent workshops beyond the combustion engine.
Two tonnes less battery waste
In addition, according to the company, battery diagnostics can save up to two million tonnes of battery waste annually with a value of more than 50 billion euros. This is because it prevents batteries from being prematurely discarded and thus sent for a second recycling. These so-called second-life applications could extend a battery's life by an average of five years. (su/mfo)
