Mercedes-Benz has its eyes on solid-state batteries with its partnership with Factorial for battery cells, however the automaker’s already pondering one step beyond that.
In the longer term, Mercedes envisions mixed battery packs with several types of cells all wired in parallel relatively than today’s series arrangement. The enabling factor to it is a recent micro-converter the automaker’s developing in-house to exchange today’s electrical inverter systems.
In Germany, Mercedes engineers showed working prototypes to Green Automotive Reports of the programmable micro-converters. The converters are concerning the length of a stick of gum and twice the width. They looked light and were encased in black plastic, but engineers were sure to maintain us from touching the (presumably expensive) prototypes.
Mercedes-Benz micro-converters
The micro-converters could be connected on to any variety of cell pairs. This permits engineers to program and control individual cell pairings independently whatever the state-of-charge. Engineers demonstrated this on a workbench, putting the mixed test cells under load after which independently turning on and off certain cell pairings.
Engineers said the brand new micro-converters open the likelihood to mix-and-match cell types, chemistries, and more for various situations. The converters could enable a pack to have LFP cells, NMC cells, and solid-state cells all together, and so they could call upon several types of cells for various conditions and situations to work of their optimal operating windows. That would open a brand new door for performance vehicles for the automaker’s AMG division.
Mercedes-Benz micro-converters
The brand new approach could translate to faster charging rates, longer driving range, and more flexibility in pack design, in response to Mercedes’ engineers.
Mercedes-Benz paid for travel and lodging for Green Automotive Reports to bring you this information.
This Article First Appeared At www.greencarreports.com
