Battery Management Systems (BMS) for custom battery systems
A Battery Management System (BMS) is the central control and monitoring element of modern battery systems. It ensures safety, performance, and a long battery service life. VRI designs and develops custom Battery Management Systems as an integral part of your individual battery system – tailored to your application, environment, and technical requirements.
What is a Battery Management System (BMS)?
A Battery Management System (BMS) controls and monitors the operation of a battery. It ensures that all cells operate within safe operating limits and thus protects the system from damage.
The main tasks of a BMS include:
- Monitoring of voltage, current, and temperature
- Protection against overcharging, deep discharge, and short circuit
- Cell balancing for uniform utilization of all cells
- Communication with higher-level systems
Without a suitable, high-performance BMS, safe and reliable operation of modern battery systems is not possible.
What functions does a BMS perform for batteries exactly?
A Battery Management System performs a wide range of technical tasks that are critical for safe operation.
These include:
Monitoring and protection
Continuous control of all relevant operating parameters. If a safety-critical deviation of the parameters is detected, the BMS intervenes automatically to prevent damage to the battery.
Cell balancing
This refers to the compensation of voltage differences between individual cells. The BMS ensures that all cells charge and discharge uniformly, thereby preventing overcharging and deep discharge. This maximizes the overall capacity and also extends the service life of the battery system.
Thermal management
Thermal management is one of the central functions of a Battery Management System (BMS). It ensures that battery cells – particularly lithium-ion batteries in industrial battery systems or stationary storage systems – are always operated within their optimal temperature window. Since both extreme heat and cold can reduce capacity and cause permanent damage to cells, it is a critical factor for safety, performance, and long service life.
Communication and interfaces
A BMS transmits the recorded central cell parameters (voltage, current, and temperature) via standardized interfaces – such as CAN bus, RS485, UART, Bluetooth, or SMBus – to higher-level systems. This enables smooth data exchange with inverters, chargers, and vehicle controllers.
Why are custom BMS solutions essential?
Standard solutions quickly reach their limits in complex applications, as requirements can differ significantly depending on the field of application.
A custom Battery Management System, on the other hand, offers:
- optimal alignment with the specific application
- adaptation to specific performance and safety requirements
- integration into existing systems and processes
- scalability for different battery sizes and types
Particularly in industrial applications, such a custom and tailored Battery Management System (BMS) is critical for reliability and efficiency.
BMS for different applications
The requirements for a Battery Management System vary depending on the field of application:
- Mechanical engineering: compact design, high performance requirements
- IoT and mobile applications: low quiescent current, long runtimes
- Industrial applications: robustness, safety requirements, standards compliance
VRI develops Battery Management Systems that are precisely aligned with these different requirements and can therefore be integrated seamlessly into your application and systems.
Exactly what you need? Then talk to us!
Integration of the BMS into the battery system
The Battery Management System is not an isolated component, but an integral part of the entire battery system.
At VRI, the development of the battery system and BMS is coordinated – resulting in a holistically optimized system.
The development comprises the following process steps:
- parallel development of hardware and software
- consideration of standards and approvals
- integration into housing, electronics, and application
- alignment with production and series manufacturing
Standards and requirements for Battery Management Systems
BMS are subject to a wide range of technical and regulatory requirements that must be considered from the beginning of development. The focus is on protection mechanisms against overcharging, deep discharge, and overheating, as well as compliance with international standards – including UN 38.3 and relevant IEC standards – which set specific requirements for design, function, and test procedures. With the EU Battery Regulation, regulatory requirements continue to grow: manufacturers must provide complete proof of conformity, safety, and sustainability of their products. BMS also play an important role in the context of the Digital Battery Passport, as they contribute to transparent documentation throughout the entire product lifecycle.
VRI considers all these requirements early in the development process – with the result that the resulting systems are not only technically sound but also remain compliant with applicable standards and legally suitable for use.
Our team supports you quickly, with sound expertise and a solution-oriented approach. Talk to us about your project – we look forward to your challenge.
Steffen Weller
Vertriebsleiter – Sales Director