Electric vehicle and clean energy start-up Simple Energy has upgraded its patented Battery Management System (BMS) that is scheduled to debut on its flagship scooter called ONE. The improved BMS, the company claims, enables the electric powertrain to achieve industry-leading 95% efficiency.
The BMS is very compact for a 10 kW solution, said the company. That leaves more headroom for other vehicle applications and more space for other components such as a larger battery. A release issued by Simple Energy claimed the BMS, even with that size, is quite accurate and can detect changes as minuscule as 0.6 mV, which in turn provides precise state of charge (remaining battery and range) estimations.
“Developing a BMS from scratch was one of the best decisions we made, enabling us to have an unparalleled degree of vertical integration on the ONE — allowing us to eke out more range and performance than any other EV in the market. This move will also make developing future products by Simple easier,” Suhas Rajkumar, Founder and CEO, Simple Energy said.
The objective was to create a system that maximises battery health and longevity. Towards that, engineers developed a patented intelligent charging protocol to allow for fast charging without degrading the battery pack.
Further, the BMS features additional algorithms for optimal and safe charging & discharging, sustained peak performance without heating, overall better thermal management, advanced regenerative braking for improved riding dynamics & range, and smart cell balancing & derating. The BMS is also designed to support the ISO 26262 safety system.
Data captured through systematic telemetry in the BMS can be used to further improve efficiency via OTA updates, said the company. This allows the company to understand how users ride and charge their vehicles. Moreover, the modular solution can also be scaled up or down as per the application, for new form factors.
The company claimed this is the first time interchanging of battery modules has been achieved without a master module, further reducing costs and errors.
It must be noted that deliveries of the Simple ONE is scheduled to begin in June 2022. Priced at INR 109,999 (ex-showroom) for the standard variant, the scooter can achieve a claimed real-world range of 203 km (up to 236 km in ideal conditions). The higher variant, priced at 144,999 (ex-showroom) claims to have a 300 km range using an additional battery pack.