The first year of the PHOENIX project was a particularly intense and exciting period for the development of the Battery Management System (BMS), which serves as a crucial component for the project’s ambitious goal of integrating self-healing and smart sensing technologies into next-generation batteries.

At the very beginning, the primary challenge we faced was gathering the user requirements from all the project partners. This step was critical to ensure that the BMS we develop would be capable of meeting the needs of the various sensors and self-healing actuators being developed. To streamline this process, we organised a series of bilateral meetings with each partner. These discussions helped clarify how the sensors and actuators would operate.

Once the requirements were in place, we moved swiftly into the design and development phase of the BMS. Special attention was given to ensuring smooth communication and data exchange between the BMS and the preprocessing board being developed by Fraunhofer ISC. This collaboration was essential in making sure that the final integration of the system would proceed without unexpected issues. To further reduce any potential risks during the integration process, we organised dedicated workshops with key partners. These workshops allowed us to perform preliminary testing on the system, even before the final hardware was fully assembled.

Finally, the team met at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel for the official commissioning of the BMS and preprocessing boards. This event was a key milestone in the project, as it marked the successful integration of the two systems. The commissioning process involved extensive testing and calibration, ensuring that the BMS could reliably sense and act upon the PHOENIX cells once manufacturing begins.

Looking ahead, the next year promises even more advancements. We plan to develop a second iteration of the BMS, building on the lessons learned during the first phase. This next version will be more compact and will incorporate feedback from the user.