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Mahle E-Health Charge measures the performance of electric car batteries

The value of used electric cars heavily depends on the condition of the battery. To ensure reliable assessment, the supplier is now introducing its own diagnostic solution, which is said to be the fastest on the market.

The battery diagnostic solution E-Health Charge for determining the state of health of the HV battery also features a charging function for the electric vehicle. | Image: Mahle GmbH.
The battery diagnostic solution E-Health Charge for determining the state of health of the HV battery also features a charging function for the electric vehicle. | Image: Mahle GmbH.
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von Claudia Leistritz

With the increasing prevalence of battery electric vehicles, more and more used vehicles are also entering the market. The older the vehicle, the lower the performance of the drive batteries. As the most expensive component in the vehicle, the available capacity of the HV battery significantly determines the value of electric vehicles. However, this cannot be determined by mere visual inspection, and there are still not many diagnostic solutions on the market for the more precise assessment of battery performance.

One of the companies that started developing a method for battery performance assessment a few years ago is Aviloo, for example. Recently, the collaboration of the Austrian diagnostics specialist with German Hyundai locations was announced. This way, interested parties for used electric vehicles "of almost all brands" can be better informed in just a few minutes at the dealerships of the South Korean brand nationwide about what they are getting into when making a purchase.

Mahle Aftermarket, the spare parts division of the Stuttgart-based supplier, has now, in cooperation with battery specialist volytica, brought its own development as a static diagnostic device for batteries to the European market. The E-Health Charge is said to reliably assess the "health condition" and performance of the high-voltage battery of electric cars independently of the vehicle and manufacturer. The measurement duration is specified as a maximum of 15 minutes and is described as the "currently fastest static battery diagnosis" on the market.

Automated Process

The entire system consists of the E-Health app and the E-Charge 20 battery charger and allows for battery diagnostics and charging at the same time. The charger can also be used purely as a DC charger. According to Mahle, due to the automated process, users do not need any prior knowledge.

Philipp Grosse Kleimann, member of the Mahle management board and head of the Aftermarket division, presents the device as an investment in the future for independent workshops at a time when demands are increasing due to the variety of drives:

"Battery-electric drives, hybrids, internal combustion engines, and hydrogen drives form the powertrain mix of the future. With the newest member of our BatteryPRO product line, the E-Health Charge, we are making independent workshops fit for the future."

In addition, the development also serves to strengthen its own position vis-à-vis workshop partners.

Previously Unclear

The solution is intended to help increase transparency about battery quality and provide stakeholders in the automotive industry such as testing societies, fleet operators, and workshops with a tool for reliably assessing vehicle value and battery quality. An urgent measure, as the largest cost factor in e-vehicles is indeed this HV battery, "whose lifespan is influenced by numerous external factors and has not been visible in the past," Mahle reports. With the new solution, clarity about this important vehicle component can now finally be obtained. Workshops also receive an additional pillar of vehicle maintenance alongside the combustion engine business, it continues.

Diagnose and Charge Simultaneously

The battery charger of the E-Health Charge solution, E-Charge 20, has a power output of 20 kW and can be used independently of the diagnosis as a pure charger for fully electric vehicles. According to the manufacturer, the device allows for quick and easy determination of the HV battery's health status without much effort. While the vehicle is being diagnosed while stationary, the high-voltage battery can be charged at the same time.

The data collected from the charger and the OBD interface is evaluated by Mahle Aftermarket in cooperation with the Dresden battery specialist volytica diagnostics. According to the information, the data is transferred to a secure cloud, classified in relation to already recorded batteries of the same type, and compared with the original capacity of the vehicle model. After a short time, users then receive a final report by email.

Increase Acceptance of E-Cars, Extend Lifespan

Claudius Jehle, CEO of volytica diagnostics, emphasizes the high importance of the development for fair evaluation of lease returns and for transparent design of the used car market for e-vehicles. The term transparency plays a major role in the project:

"Our motto 'Acceptance through Transparency' is at the center of this initiative, from which not only buyers and sellers benefit, but it also advances the acceptance and spread of electromobility."

Moreover, the company also contributes to environmental protection, as the evaluation can serve as a basis for a sensible secondary use: annually, up to two million tons of batteries would be saved from premature disposal and their lifespan "extended by an average of five years through second-life applications," says Jehle.

The solution was recently presented at the international trade fair for public transport IT-Trans in Karlsruhe, as reported by volytica diagnostics. According to the provider, the battery diagnostics solution is currently available in Italy, Portugal, Serbia, and Poland. The next markets to be supplied are Germany and the Netherlands.

 

Translated automatically from German.
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