A significant contract has been given to Marelli to provide its Battery Management System (BMS), a crucial element of the design of electric vehicles and also known as the “brain” of the battery, for the upcoming BEV (Battery Electric Vehicles) small-medium cars of a major international automaker, starting in 2026.
Marelli will deliver the battery management system hardware and boot loader software for segment A, B, and C full electric vehicles as part of the project. In terms of production volumes, the supply is a noteworthy accomplishment.
“We are glad of this relevant assignment, particularly as this is for a technology which has a key role for energy management in electric vehicles,” said Hannes Prenn, President of Marelli’s Electric Powertrain division. “This further reinforces our collaboration with global carmakers and recognizes the consolidated experience achieved by Marelli over the years in the development of BMS with different architectures, to fit the specific needs of our customers and co-create with them the vehicles of tomorrow.”
Teams from Marelli Electric Powertrain in Italy and Japan will develop and test the winning Battery Management System. Production is expected to begin in 2026, supplying the automaker’s various plants.
Due to the distributed architecture of the BMS, fewer harnesses will be needed. The system integrates all the lithium battery cell-related hardware on a Cell Module Controller (CMC), which is placed directly on the cell module that is being monitored. The system’s primary functions are to monitor and control the battery. With this approach, the majority of the wiring is reduced to a few sensor wires and communication cables between nearby CMC modules. Each CMC is subsequently more independent and manages measurements and communications as necessary.
