Bosch connected technology effectively extends the battery life of electric vehicles

Cloud-based cluster intelligence makes battery performance more durable and stable

• Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch Group’s board of management, said: “Bosch is connecting electric vehicle batteries to the cloud, which will help significantly improve battery performance and extend their service life.”

  
  

• Use intelligent algorithms to effectively identify factors affecting battery stress and optimize the charging process

  
  

• Mobile travel service provider Didi plans to explore cooperation with Bosch on battery services

Stuttgart, Germany – “Stress accelerates cell aging”, a principle that geneticists have learned from long-term clinical practice, also applies to the service life of electric vehicle batteries. Specifically, the older the battery, the weaker its performance, the lower its capacity and the shorter the vehicle’s range. To extend the battery life, Bosch is working on developing new cloud services to supplement and optimize the battery management system of electric vehicles. “Bosch connects electric vehicle batteries to the cloud. This data-based service will significantly improve battery performance and extend its service life,” said Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the Bosch board of management. Intelligent software functions in the cloud continuously analyze the battery status and actively take appropriate measures to prevent or slow down battery aging. These measures can effectively reduce the loss rate of batteries, which are the most expensive part of electric vehicles, by 20%. In this regard, real-time data collected from the vehicle and its surroundings plays a key role in the selection of measures. Bosch’s cloud service analysis uses real-time data to optimize each charging process and provide drivers with personalized driving tips through the instrument display to effectively save electricity. Bosch has named this new service “Cloud Battery”. Didi, a leading global mobile travel service provider, plans to explore cooperation with Bosch on battery services.

Accurate real-time analysis

According to experts, the average service life of lithium-ion batteries is currently 8-10 years or 500-1000 charging cycles. In addition, battery manufacturers usually guarantee that their electric vehicle batteries have a range of between 100,000 and 160,000 kilometers. However, fast charging, too frequent charging cycles, excessive use of sports driving modes, and too high or too low ambient temperatures will increase battery stress and accelerate battery aging. Bosch's cloud-based service is designed to quickly identify and actively respond to these stress triggers. Bosch's cloud service will collect all battery-related data, such as the current ambient temperature and charging habits, and transmit it to the cloud in real time, and then use machine learning algorithms in the cloud to accurately evaluate the data. Through a series of calculations, Bosch can not only provide drivers with a window to understand the current state of the battery, but will also be able to achieve a reliable prediction of the current performance of the battery and its remaining service life for the first time - in the past, people could not make an accurate judgment on the speed of battery consumption in electric vehicles. "Powerful and long-life batteries will make the promotion of electric vehicles more feasible," said Dr. Markus Heyn. Another feature of Bosch's cloud service is the use of the cluster principle: it does not stop at collecting data from a single vehicle, but analyzes and evaluates the data of the entire fleet, so as to select a more accurate and effective algorithm for battery evaluation. Leveraging swarm intelligence is key to enabling faster and more comprehensive identification of automotive battery stress factors.

Slow down battery aging

Bosch's new insights into the real-time status of batteries can effectively delay battery aging. For example, batteries in a saturated state are more susceptible to aging at too high or too low ambient temperatures. Therefore, to avoid charging the battery to 100% when it is too hot or too cold, Bosch's cloud service will reduce the battery's rated capacity by a few percentage points in real time to avoid unexpected battery loss. Secondly, the data stored in the cloud will help with battery repair and maintenance. For example, once a battery fails or has a defect, the driver or fleet operator will receive an immediate notification. This service helps to avoid irreparable damage to the battery and increase the possibility of repairing the battery before it stops working completely. Finally, Bosch's cloud service can also help optimize the charging process. Because the charging process has the risk of causing the battery to permanently lose some of its performance and capacity, it is often regarded as one of the biggest obstacles to the scale-up of the electric vehicle market. Bosch's intelligent software in the cloud can separately count the charging curve of each charging process, which will ensure that the battery can always be charged to the optimal level to maintain battery performance, whether it is charged at home or elsewhere. The charging timer applications currently on the market only time the charging process and remind drivers to charge in time when the battery power is low. As part of its new battery service, Bosch's intelligent charging solution will innovatively optimize the charging process, accurately distinguish between fast charging and slow charging, and control the power and voltage levels during the charging process, thereby effectively extending the battery life.

As the largest business unit of the Bosch Group, the Automotive and Transportation Technologies business unit had sales of 47.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 61% of the group's total sales, making Bosch one of the world's largest automotive parts suppliers. The Automotive and Transportation Technologies business unit is committed to creating a vision of future transportation with zero accidents, zero emissions and zero worries. The business unit integrates the group's expertise in the three cutting-edge fields of automation, electrification and interconnection, and provides customers with integrated transportation solutions. Its business areas mainly include diversified powertrain solutions such as traditional internal combustion engines, hybrid and pure electric, steering systems, safety and driver assistance systems, user-friendly in-vehicle infotainment technology, vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, maintenance service networks, and automotive aftermarket technologies and services. Bosch is the base camp for automotive innovation, and technologies such as electronic engine management, electronic body stability system and diesel common rail technology all come from Bosch.

The Bosch Group is a world-leading supplier of technology and services. With nearly 410,000 employees (as of December 31, 2018), the Bosch Group generated sales of 78.5 billion euros in fiscal year 2018. Bosch's business is divided into four business areas, covering automotive and intelligent transportation technology, industrial technology, consumer goods, and energy and building technology. As a world-leading IoT company, Bosch provides innovative solutions for smart homes, smart cities, connected transportation, and connected industries. Bosch uses its expertise in sensor technology, software, and services, as well as its own cloud platform, to provide customers with integrated cross-domain connected solutions. Through its products and services, Bosch provides people with innovative and beneficial solutions to improve their quality of life and create a connected life. With its innovative technology, Bosch is fulfilling its promise of "technology makes life beautiful" worldwide.

The Group includes Robert Bosch GmbH and its 460 branches and regional companies in about 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, Bosch's business covers almost every country in the world. Bosch's long-term and healthy development is based on continuous innovation. Bosch's R&D network has 68,700 R&D personnel in 130 countries and regions around the world.

The company was founded in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as "Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering". The Bosch Group's unique ownership structure guarantees its financial independence and corporate autonomy, enabling the group to make long-term strategic plans and forward-looking investments to ensure its future development. The charitable Robert Bosch Foundation owns 92% of the shares of Robert Bosch GmbH, and the majority of voting rights are held by the Robert Bosch Industrial Trust. The trust also exercises corporate ownership functions. The remaining shares belong to the Bosch family and Robert Bosch GmbH.