LG Energy looks to battery safety diagnosis software business

LG Energy Solution Ltd., one of the world’s top battery makers, said on Wednesday it is entering the battery safety diagnosis software business to allay growing fears among electric vehicle drivers of battery-caused EV fires amid a global slowdown in EV sales.

The South Korean battery maker said it will work closely with automakers to deploy its battery management system (BMS) and collaborate with companies such as Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) to advance its BMS technology further.

“We will provide irreplaceable and differentiated customer value, not only in battery manufacturing but also in the field of BMS solutions to ensure the highest level of safety and performance,” said Chief Executive Kim Dong-myung.

The CEO, known in the West by his English name David Kim, said LG’s battery diagnosis software is already used in EVs from nine global automakers, including Hyundai Motor Co.

Last week, Hyundai and its sister firm Kia Corp. said they plan to apply their BMS technology to all of their new electric models to alleviate safety concerns over EV fires.

Their existing EVs will be equipped with the system through software updates by the end of this year, according to Hyundai and Kia.

OVER 8,000 BMS-RELATED PATENTS

LG said its safety diagnosis software detects battery defects and abnormalities with an accuracy rate of over 90%, leveraging its advanced technology backed by BMS development capabilities and empirical battery data accumulated over more than two decades.

With over 8,000 BMS-related patents, LG said it has developed the software by analyzing more than 130,000 battery cells and 1,000 battery modules and applied the technology to more than 100,000 EVs.

Mounted on vehicle BMS devices, the software detects abnormal signs and defects, including a voltage drop during charging, micro internal short circuits, abnormal degradation, abnormal discharge and deviation in specific cell capacity, according to LG.

The company said its BMS software and technology are compatible with EVs equipped with batteries from other manufacturers.

“Although automakers have already begun to shift their attention to safety diagnosis technology, it takes time and resources to develop and apply reliable diagnosis software,” said Chung Hyuk-sung, vice president of the Business Development Group at LG Energy Solution.

AIDED BY AI, CLOUD TECH

In addition to a safety diagnosis function, LG said its software also accurately predicts batteries’ remaining capacity and degradation, aided by artificial intelligence and cloud computing technology.

“With our advanced technology, we have reduced the error rate of our battery degradation diagnosis to the 1% range, a top level in the industry,” LG said.

The company said it is also developing BMS software optimized for software-defined vehicles (SVDs) and other future mobility vehicles.

Domestic and foreign automakers operating in Korea have recently disclosed their battery information, including expected battery life and names of battery makers, amid growing EV phobia after a Mercedes-Benz EQE electric sedan equipped with cells made by Chinese company Farasis Energy Inc. burst into flames in the underground garage of an apartment building in Incheon, west of Seoul.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.