Rapid detection of battery abnormalities and immediate notification to customers
Precise monitoring of abnormalities even during parking, not just during driving and charging
No electric vehicle fires caused by driving and charging… Application of a 3-stage multiple safety system
Emphasizing “electric vehicles as a means of transportation that can be used with ease, unlike internal combustion engines”,
Image of the Hyundai & Kia electric vehicle battery management system (BMS). ⓒ Hyundai Motor, ‘[Dailian = Reporter Park Young-guk] Against the backdrop of the recent Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fire incident in an underground apartment parking lot spreading as ‘electric vehicle phobia,’ Hyundai & Kia have unveiled core technologies responsible for electric vehicle safety. It is interpreted as an intent to dispel unnecessary anxiety about electric vehicles.’,
,
, ‘On the 15th, Hyundai & Kia publicly disclosed the major safety technologies applied to their electric vehicles, with the ‘Battery Management System (BMS)’ at the center.’,
,
, ‘The BMS acts as the ‘brain’ that comprehensively manages and protects batteries while providing control information necessary for vehicles to use the batteries.’,
,
, ‘Since the BMS plays a role in supervising batteries that store high energy, Hyundai & Kia are focusing all their technological development efforts to ensure that customers can operate electric vehicles with peace of mind.’,
,
, ‘Hyundai & Kia have accumulated the foundation of BMS control technology over 15 years by developing hybrid vehicles long before the popularization of electric vehicles, and have been able to secure the core BMS technology of today by overcoming various technological challenges. Especially, by developing various technologies related to multi rapid charging systems, V2L, etc., earlier than other OEMs, they were able to widen the technological gap with competitors.’,
,
,
, ‘One of the key roles of Hyundai & Kia’s BMS is the precise ‘battery system monitoring’ that enables batteries to operate stably. This technology swiftly detects signs of battery abnormalities, assesses the level of risk, performs vehicle safety control, and notifies customers when necessary, preventing major issues from occurring in advance.’,
,
, ‘While electric vehicle battery fires can occur due to various reasons, most types of occurrences are due to defects in the cells themselves or cell shorts caused by impacts. Hyundai & Kia’s BMS not only performs real-time diagnostics during driving and charging but also periodically wakes up during parking when the ignition is turned off to monitor indications of cell abnormalities precisely.’,
,
, ‘The items monitored by the BMS include various factors such as voltage differences, insulation resistance, current and voltage fluctuations, temperature, overvoltage, and undervoltage. In addition, recently released vehicles are equipped with a function to detect potential faults several days or weeks in advance, such as instant shorts and minor shorts, providing an even higher level of stability.’,
,
,
Infographic responsible for electric vehicle safety with BMS. ⓒ Hyundai Motor, ‘Hyundai & Kia have determined that newly developed technologies for detecting instant and minor shorts have a significant effect on early detection of battery fires. These technologies will be applied to new vehicles and tools for updating existing electric vehicles will be developed by the end of the year for sequential expansion.’,
,
, ‘When signs of battery abnormalities are detected, the BMS performs necessary safety controls and immediately notifies customers based on the level of risk. The abnormal indication data diagnosed by the BMS is immediately transmitted to a remote support center, and then an automated text message is sent to customers to guide them for inspection and emergency assistance (Kia is scheduled to start trial operation next week).’,
,
, ‘In particular, a system that automatically notifies relevant authorities when a serious problem is detected will also be developed.’,
,
, ‘Hyundai & Kia plan to continue research and development to strengthen safety diagnosis technology by leading the BMS technology. They are also developing an ‘Onboard-Cloud Integrated Safety Management System’ that integrates advanced diagnostic technology and remote precise diagnostics based on cloud servers (using physical models and machine learning models).’,
,
,
, ‘The BMS also plays an important role during the charging process. Hyundai & Kia emphasize that claims attributing electric vehicle fires to overcharging, a primary cause, are “not true.”‘,
,
, ‘The company stated that there has not been a single case of a fire occurring in Hyundai & Kia electric vehicles due to overcharging. It is explained that by closely monitoring the charging status through the BMS and cooperating closely with the charging controller, the possibility of problems due to overcharging is close to 0%.’,
,
, ‘The most significant feature of Hyundai & Kia’s overcharging prevention technology is having a sufficient multi-layered safety system. Specifically, they are redundantly applying a three-stage overcharging prevention technology that can replace the detection itself even if errors occur.’,
,
, ‘First, in the first stage, the BMS and the charging controller constantly manage the high-voltage battery to be safely charged within the charging amount range through optimal charging current control. In the second stage, the system operates to immediately stop charging if the BMS detects that the battery’s charging status deviates from the normal range.’,
,
, ‘In the unlikely event that both the vehicle control unit and the battery control unit malfunction, the third-stage system is activated. In this stage, a physical safety circuit is activated, forcibly disconnecting the current path switch.’,
,
, ‘Hyundai & Kia’s BMS technology extends beyond monitoring and overcharge prevention. Cell balancing technology, which comprehensively manages cells inside batteries to optimize battery durability and performance, is also considered a core technology.’,
,
, ‘Since the performance of the entire battery decreases even if one of the many cells inside the battery pack deteriorates, individual management of battery cells to extend the life of the electric vehicle battery is crucial.’,
,
, ‘For example, if there is a voltage deviation among the battery cells, the BMS anticipates this in advance and performs cell balancing control to reduce the voltage deviation between cells. It also continuously calculates and controls the maximum output that the battery can provide based on the current battery temperature and state.’,
,
, ‘Hyundai & Kia also have an excellent battery fire delay system compared to competitors. As can be seen from the recent electric vehicle fire in Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do on the 6th, the fire progression was slower and the damage was not significant compared to imported car fire incidents occurring around the same time. The company emphasized that this was due to various technologies that delay fires.’,
,
, ‘An official from Hyundai & Kia stated, “Various safety technologies developed based on the technical expertise and know-how accumulated by research and development personnel at the Hyundai Motor Group over the years are applied to our electric vehicles to ensure that customers worldwide can ride our electric vehicles with peace of mind.” The official also stated, “We will continue to strive for continuous development of advanced safety new technologies, rather than being satisfied with the current level of technology.”’,
,
, ‘Meanwhile, against the backdrop of escalating customer concerns about electric vehicle fires, Hyundai & Kia are launching assurance inspection services to dispel anxiety about electric vehicles and assist customers in safe driving.’,
,
, ‘The inspection targets all Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis passenger and small commercial electric vehicle models, and inspects a total of 9 items related to electric vehicle safety such as ▲ insulation resistance ▲ voltage difference ▲ cooling system ▲ damage to connection cables and connectors ▲ lower body impact or damage ▲ occurrence of error codes.\n’]