Battery usage is a baffling push and pull of chemistry that is still hard for most to understand. A battery’s ability to hold a charge can be severely hampered by several things including weather, temperature and many other environmental factors. One company has developed a simple, yet advanced to for diagnosing the health and longevity of the battery.
A researcher at DOE’s Idaho National laboratory, Kevin Gering developed a software program with specific tools for understanding how the battery will function in specific conditions are part of the program. CellSage (Cell’s Age) is the program that will take into account all diversity and create a life-cycle prediction for your battery.
To ensure the battery type is connected to the right application, the program studies the geographic location, cycling protocol, electric-drive vehicle applications, and so much more. Various other locations, protocols, applications, etc. are used for fine tuning the program and making sure that the correct parameters are chosen. This technology is able to characterize the performance of the battery and just how much life the battery may have left within the certain conditions or parameters.
In total the software analyzed more than 20 specific outputs and 10 specific environmental and operational parameters. This analysis provides a more in depth and realistic look at the life cycle of the battery in real world conditions.
Gering was able to showcase his software by using it to predict geographic-dependent battery aging in hybrid electric vehicles over the course of 10 years. Gering’s study clearly proved that batteries should really be kept at warmer temperatures during the winter months, are must really be kept at cooler temperatures during the summer months.
