LG Energy Solution Ltd., a leading battery manufacturer, has announced its foray into the battery safety diagnosis software business in response to growing concerns over electric vehicle (EV) fires and a global slowdown in EV sales. The South Korean company aims to collaborate with automakers and technology firms like Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) to enhance its battery management system (BMS) technology. LG’s Chief Executive, Kim Dong-myung (David Kim), emphasized the company’s commitment to providing unparalleled customer value in both battery manufacturing and BMS solutions to ensure the highest levels of safety and performance.
LG’s battery diagnosis software is already being utilized in EVs from nine global automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co. Last week, Hyundai and its sister company Kia Corp. announced plans to implement LG’s software through software updates in their existing EVs by the end of this year, aiming to alleviate safety concerns related to EV fires. LG’s safety diagnosis software boasts an accuracy rate of over 90% in detecting battery defects and abnormalities, leveraging its extensive BMS development capabilities and empirical battery data accumulated over two decades. With over 8,000 BMS-related patents, LG has developed the software by analyzing more than 130,000 battery cells and 1,000 battery modules, applying the technology to over 100,000 EVs.
The software, mounted on vehicle BMS devices, is designed to identify abnormal signs and defects such as voltage drops during charging, micro internal short circuits, abnormal degradation, abnormal discharge, and deviations in specific cell capacity. LG assures that its BMS software and technology are compatible with EVs equipped with batteries from other manufacturers. Chung Hyuk-sung, Vice President of the Business Development Group at LG Energy Solution, acknowledged that automakers are gradually shifting their focus towards safety diagnosis technology, but developing and implementing reliable diagnosis software requires time and resources.
In addition to its safety diagnosis function, LG’s software accurately predicts battery remaining capacity and degradation, leveraging artificial intelligence and cloud computing technology. LG claims to have reduced the error rate of its battery degradation diagnosis to the 1% range, positioning itself at the forefront of the industry. The company is also working on developing BMS software optimized for software-defined vehicles (SVDs) and other future mobility vehicles.
Recently, domestic and foreign automakers operating in Korea have started disclosing battery information, including battery life and the names of battery manufacturers. This move comes in response to a growing fear surrounding EVs after an incident involving a Mercedes-Benz EQE electric sedan, equipped with cells manufactured by Chinese company Farasis Energy Inc., caught fire in the underground garage of an apartment building in Incheon, west of Seoul.