The chipset spots battery issues like charging, battery life, and energy storage in real time without extra sensors or complex systems.
Electric vehicle makers and energy storage providers need batteries that charge faster, last longer, stay safe, and remain cost-effective. Current software-based monitoring struggles to catch millisecond-level events that signal early battery problems and often requires extra sensors or software to ensure safety.
NXP’s new battery management chipset tackles these challenges by embedding Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) directly into hardware across three BMS units: the BMA7418 cell sensing device, BMA6402 gateway, and BMA8420 battery junction box controller. This enables real-time, high-frequency monitoring without additional components. Precise hardware synchronization and in-chip discrete Fourier transformation deliver accurate impedance measurements, helping OEMs detect early battery issues, support safe fast charging, and simplify system design.
EIS works by sending controlled electrical signals through the battery. NXP’s chipset includes a signal generator that both pre-charges the high-voltage circuit and produces excitation signals. The DC link capacitors store energy alongside the battery, improving efficiency. By analyzing each cell’s response at different frequencies, the system identifies subtle changes in internal states, such as temperature differences, aging, or micro short circuits. Unlike traditional time-based measurements, EIS reliably measures cell impedance, tracks capacity loss, and estimates battery health even during dynamic conditions such as charging or load changes.
This solution gives OEMs deeper insights into battery behavior, enabling safer, longer-lasting, and higher-performing energy storage systems without adding complexity.
“The EIS solution brings a powerful lab-grade diagnostic tool into the vehicle. It simplifies system design by reducing the need for additional temperature sensors and supports the shift toward faster, safer and more reliable charging without compromising battery health. The chipset also offers a low-barrier upgrade path, with pin-to-pin compatible packages that can be directly upgraded to on cell module and battery junction box control units,” Naomi Smit, VP and GM, Drivers and Energy System , NXP Semiconductors
