The DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory has teamed with Colorado-based Dynexus Technology to develop a new battery diagnostic technology for the energy storage industry.

Under an exclusive licensing agreement, Dynexus will commercialize INL’s embedded wideband impedance technology for analyzing and forecasting the health, aging and safety characteristics of batteries.

The wideband impedance technique delivers in-depth diagnostic insights not previously available outside the lab. It enables embedded continuous monitoring of a battery’s health and remaining life throughout the entire course of its life cycle.

“The whole purpose of the work is to understand the bounds of safety and performance as the battery ages,” said Eric Dufek, Leader of INL’s Energy Storage Group. “This allows informed decisions about the state of health and battery life.”

The INL technology could help find new uses for EV batteries after their capacity fades beyond automotive standards (below 80 percent of initial capacity).

“This technology could help assess the resale value of a used EV, or provide remaining life and safety insights for repurposing those batteries into secondary applications,” said Dynexus CEO David Sorum. “Monitoring battery health and remaining life will help ensure the safety and reliability of repurposed batteries, and will strengthen their viability, insurability and marketability.”

“The technology has the potential to add value at all levels across the battery value chain,” said Dynexus CTO David Lung. “It’s like having an onboard smart meter for your EV battery, providing the owner and the dealership with immediate and easily accessible factual information about battery health throughout its useful life.”

Source: Idaho National Laboratory