LG EnSol-Qualcomm, Commercialization of SoC-Based Battery Management System

Enhanced Battery Anomaly Diagnosis Function
Enabling Implementation of Complex Degradation Algorithms

LG Energy Solution is commercializing a new battery management system (BMS) diagnostic solution based on 'System on Chip (SoC)' technology in collaboration with Qualcomm.

On the 23rd, LG Energy Solution announced that it has signed an official joint promotion contract with Qualcomm Technologies for the commercialization of the SoC-based BMS diagnostic solution. Earlier this year, they announced plans to collaborate on developing the next-generation BMS diagnostic solution to be installed in electric vehicles, forming a technical council to conduct related research.

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The two companies developed BMS software to be embedded in the Snapdragon Digital Chassis. Unlike existing BMSs that operated on low-spec hardware, this BMS solution utilizes high-performance SoC computing power, marking an industry first. LG Energy Solution’s unique safety diagnosis and degradation/lifespan prediction software is embedded in the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, enabling more sophisticated and differentiated BMS solution usage.

First, the core safety diagnosis function of the BMS solution has been significantly enhanced. By leveraging the high-capacity computing power of the SoC in the Snapdragon Digital Chassis solution, it can collect more data compared to existing BMSs, allowing for faster and more accurate diagnosis of abnormal signs such as the possibility of fire.

Additionally, the degradation diagnosis function has become more precise with over 80 times improved computational capability. This is because algorithms that were impossible to apply in previous BMSs, which could only perform simple calculations, can now be implemented. New features will include predicting the remaining battery capacity after a certain period and checking degradation performance indicators for detailed battery components such as the cathode and anode.

Notably, it can operate in real-time without a separate server connection, enabling in-vehicle autonomous analysis and diagnosis of vehicle data such as driving information.

In the future, the diagnostic solution will also be integrated into the 'Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud Connected Service Platform' so that automakers can use it for human-machine interface (HMI) or cloud services.

At the vision sharing event held in October, LG Energy Solution identified business expansion into software and service areas as one of its four mid-to-long-term strategies. In this regard, it launched a new brand, B.around, and is actively promoting the Battery Management Total Solution (BMTS) business.

B.around is LG Energy Solution’s unique solution that comprehensively applies various functions, from safety diagnosis and degradation/lifespan prediction software combined with cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, to solutions for software-defined vehicle (SDV) platforms, going beyond the functions of existing BMS.

Kwon Oh-hyung, Senior Vice President and Head of Asia-Pacific at Qualcomm Headquarters, said, "We are very pleased to collaborate with LG Energy Solution to commercialize the next-generation BMS diagnostic solution to be installed in electric vehicles based on the technology of the Snapdragon Digital Chassis. Through this cooperation, we will innovate the way electric vehicles utilize and manage energy to achieve optimal safety."

Kim Dong-myung, CEO of LG Energy Solution, said, "It is highly meaningful to have opened the market for the industry’s first SoC-based BMS, which will be a core of the future electric vehicle era, together with semiconductor leader Qualcomm. Soon, many electric vehicles will be able to experience differentiated customer value through B.around."