
Battery management deal for Croatian electric hypercar
Electric hypercar designer Rimac Automobili in Zagreb is planning to incorporate ADI’s precision chips into its battery management system (BMS) used in its electric hypercar and power sub-system designs.
“Rimac is a technology powerhouse in the field of high-performance electric vehicles,” said Mate Rimac, CEO of Rimac. “We develop and manufacture key electrification systems for many global automotive companies and raise the bar for performance electric vehicles with our own hypercars. Our application of BMS is among the most demanding in the world, requiring the highest accuracy, massive current and voltage draws over very short time scales, and rapid dynamic adjustment within the battery management control system.”
Rimac Automobili was founded in 2009 when Rimac was 21, converting his first Guinness-World-Record breaking electric car in a garage. The company develops and manufactures key electrification systems for many global automotive companies on the outskirts of Zagreb, Croatia, employing 600 people, with plans for strong future growth. The company is vertically integrated with many of the components produced in-house.
The company aims to grow from a low volume manufacturer of complex high-end electrification components, to an established Tier-1 supplier for the industry, and Rimac plans to open new high-volume production lines for battery packs, powertrain systems and the C_Two hypercar for production starting in 2020 at new facilities currently being established. The Rimac C_Two is a fully electric hypercar capable of speeds of up to 258 miles per hour. With 1,914 horsepower under the hood, the C_Two accelerates 0-60 mph in 1.85 seconds and 0-186 mph in 11.8 seconds.
“We have decided to adopt the Analog Devices portfolio of battery management ICs across our complete product line of battery management systems,” he said. “ADI’s ICs are an integral part of our in-house developed BMS that we are using in our own vehicles, but also for many global car brands. We have benchmarked these ICs in the market and selected Analog Devices for superior precision measurement accuracy and product robustness over the lifetime of the vehicle. We look forward to working with Analog Devices in the future to achieve high performance BMS in our vehicles and battery packs.”
BMS technology acts as the “brains” behind battery packs by managing the output, charging and discharging as well as providing precision measurements during vehicle operation. A BMS also provides vital safeguards to protect the battery from damage. A battery pack consists of groups of individual battery cells that work seamlessly together to deliver maximum power output to the car. If the cells go out of balance, the cells can get stressed leading to premature charge termination and a reduction in the battery’s overall lifetime.
“High performance electric vehicles require high precision electronics,” said Patrick Morgan, Vice President, Automotive Electrification and Infotainment, Analog Devices. “Precision accuracy directly translates to maximizing battery capacity and range with fast charging time. We are pleased to support Rimac with our precision battery management ICs for its leading-edge electric vehicle systems with the goal of achieving some of the best performance in the world.”
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