EUROBAT-compliant batteries are designed for 12-15 years of operation, but actual service life varies due to factors like discharge depth, environmental conditions, and maintenance practices.

Design Life: The expected lifespan of a battery under normal conditions, typically measured in years. It represents how long a battery should maintain performance before significant degradation.

Service Life: The actual time a battery remains functional in real-world conditions. It varies based on usage, environment, and maintenance and may differ from the design life.

Impact of Depth of Discharge (DoD): The deeper a battery is discharged regularly, the shorter its service life, as frequent deep discharges accelerate wear on the battery’s internal components. Batteries can exceed their designed cycle life when DoD remains below 10%, extending their usable life.

Ohmic Value Trending:  Monitoring changes in the battery’s Ohmic value such as internal resistance or conductance over time can indicate performance degradation, noted by changes to these Ohmic values.

Conventional battery maintenance relies on periodic testing and scheduled replacements, typically dictated by manufacturer guidelines rather than real-world conditions.

Premature Replacements: Many organizations replace batteries strictly based on warranty expiration, even when scientific data suggests they still have years of usable life. Many batteries are replaced prematurely, leading to excessive costs.

Inconsistent Testing Data: Annual, semi-annual, and quarterly Ohmic tests may not always provide reliable data, especially when not compared to baseline measurements. This periodic approach to standard testing may not offer a complete view of battery health.

Unverified End-of-Life Assessments: Without continuous monitoring, it can be difficult to precisely determine when a battery has reached its end-of-life, which can lead to less accurate EOL assessments.

Operational Risks:  Traditional maintenance does not provide real-time failure prediction, increasing the risk of power disruptions and thermal runaway incidents.  

Reduced Dependence on Testing

Traditional testing regiments, such as quarterly Ohmic tests and annual and semi-annual capacity tests, are labor-intensive and costly. With a BMS, real-time monitoring can eliminate the need for frequent manual testing while delivering superior accuracy.

Warranty and Procurement Strategies

BMS data provides scientific evidence for warranty claims, ensuring replacements are justified. Trend analysis helps organizations evaluate battery quality across different manufacturers, allowing for better procurement decisions.

Cost Benefit analysis of BMS Deployment