NXP Battery Management System Heading to VW EVs
Photo: Volkswagen
Volkswagen recently launched the highly anticipated ID.4, but this was only the beginning of the automaker’s journey in EV land. VW is looking to adopt new technologies that will make the next generation of EVs even more powerful. The automaker recently announced a brand-new initiative to bring the NXP battery management system to future Volkswagen EVs.
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A look at the NXP battery management system
On Oct. 20, the NXP Connects developer conference was held in Munich, Germany. During the keynote speech that kicked off the event, NXP CEO Kurt Sievers announced the company’s new partnership with Volkswagen. This collaboration will see NXP’s advanced battery management system, or BMS, integrated into VW’s groundbreaking MEB electric vehicle platform. The end result will be a scalable system that can be implemented in different types of EVs, giving them longer battery life, safer systems, and greater range.
One of the biggest challenges facing the EV industry is increasing the range each vehicle can travel. Range is determined by a number of factors, including battery power, drivetrain, and vehicle weight. Volkswagen has already tackled this challenge with its international lineup of EVs, including the ID.3 plug-in hybrid and the new ID.4 SUV. Depending on the battery and model in question, current VW EVs can drive up to 340 miles on a single 30-minute charge. With the help of NXP’s battery-management solutions, VW is hoping to increase range and power even further.
Pushing boundaries
“As part of the first wave of Volkswagen’s battery electric vehicle initiative, we’ll deliver up to 75 full-electric vehicle models to market by 2029,” said Head of Development for Vehicle Energy Supply and High Voltage Systems at Volkswagen AG, Dr. Holger Manz. “Incorporating a functionally safe battery management system that can scale across many car models makes it easier to achieve the full power potential of a battery, optimized range, and the extension of the battery’s lifetime.”
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This certainly won’t be NXP’s first experience with electric vehicles. Of the 20 industry-leading automakers worldwide, 16 of them have employed NXP’s expertise in their EV design. “Volkswagen offers its customers rich options for the coming age of electrification,” adds NXP CTO Lars Reger. “We are proud to offer precision system-level solutions that scale across models, making it easy to design-in while offering the highest levels of safety.”
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