Qnovo, an e-mobility battery management software company, has announced a collaboration with NXP Semiconductors. NXP will offer Qnovo’s SpectralX – an intelligent battery management system (BMS) software that uses predictive analytics to improve battery performance, range, and safety in several types of EVs with any type of lithium-ion battery – in its e-mobility enablement solutions for EVs in 2023.

Qnovo says it is working with NXP on a reference design to ensure the seamless integration of Qnovo’s software with the NXP BMS and onboard charger hardware. A validated design means software, hardware and tools work together, reducing development costs for electric vehicles. In addition, it makes fast charging possible without compromising battery health. SpectralX also adds predictive capabilities to NXP’s BMS and supports swappable batteries. SpectralX has a small memory footprint that leaves room for other features, while the NXP secure boot prevents code tampering and enables secure code delivery, the companies say. Qnovo says SpectralX reduces charging times to approximately 20 minutes, improves range by up to 10%, extends battery life cycle to nearly 1M km (approx. 621,371 miles) and targets zero battery thermal events in electric vehicles.

“The growing demand for energy-efficient modes of transport is directly boosting the growth rate of the electric two- and three-wheeler market and battery software optimization offered by Qnovo will strengthen our system solutions,” said Robert Li, NXP’s vice president and general manager, product line driver and energy systems. “Its edge software is particularly suited to emerging markets, where cloud access to manage batteries remotely is not guaranteed.”

SpectralX is a software-only solution that works as an application layer in the operating system, residing on top of a manufacturer’s existing BMS with an efficient footprint, deploying in a matter of weeks in a vehicle, the companies say. With the addition of Qnovo’s Battery Genome, a data library of battery models for a broad range of cell chemistries and manufacturers, the companies say SpectralX helps automate the cell selection process and saves time in battery qualification.

“Our collaboration with NXP will help resolve some of the major barriers to the market adoption of electric vehicles, especially in emerging markets,” said Nadim Maluf, CEO and co-founder of Qnovo. “This collaboration builds on our work with the world’s top automotive OEMs, addressing range anxiety, safety and battery charging time concerns.”