19JULY 2025More accurate, smart sensors are being considered for accurately measuring and thereby predicting the thermal behavior of the battery. Virtual sensors are also being explored using AI models, so that the number of physical sensors can be reduced without compromising on accuracy and performance. Uniform temperature distribution is important to avoid hotspots and should be addressed during the design phase itself. Advanced simulations help identify hotspots and guide thermal strategies using cooling channels or increased coolant flow. Immersive cooling using dielectrics is also being explored. Gas and Pressure sensors are now getting integrated in battery packs to predict thermal runaways. Larger surface area cells, like blade cells, are being considered for better heat removal. These are some of the concepts OEMs in India are exploring.Balancing high-performance BMS with cost considerations remains a key challenge. How are Indian manufacturers ensuring affordability without compromising technology?BMS for plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles, the packs are very big, with tens of kilowatt-hour capability. The major cost contributing factor is the cell, more than the BMS. So, the focus for plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles is to optimize the battery or cell cost. If you compare the BMS and battery cost, the battery is the major contributor. In mild hybrids, the battery pack is very small--2 or 3 kilowatt-hours. The BMS cost remains the same, making it a major cost component. One aspect is that a high-performance BMS helps get more out of the same pack, like extending a 2kWh battery range from 20 to 25 or 30 km, thus reducing battery size and cost.Another important aspect would be to reduce the BMS cost itself. OEMs are creating modular, scalable BMS architectures to reuse across vehicle types and chemistries, so as to reduce per-unit development costs. Smart sensor costs are dropping, enabling partial BMS processing within the sensor, while the remaining functions go into Currently, one aspect of thermal management where extensive changes are happening is in sensing. More accurate, smart sensors are being considered for accurately measuring and thereby predicting the thermal behavior of the battery. Virtual sensors are also being explored using AI models
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