Mercedes-Benz has its eye on solid-state batteries through its partnership with Battery Cell Factorial, but the automaker is thinking one step further.
In the future, Mercedes envisions hybrid battery packs with different types of cells throughout wires in parallel instead of today's edition of the series. The feature that allows this is a new micro-converter the automaker is developing in-house to replace today's electric shift systems.
In Germany, Mercedes engineers demonstrated working prototypes in Green Car Reports for programmable micro-converters. Transformers can be the length of a tuning rod and twice as wide. They looked simple and covered in black plastic, but the engineers were sure to keep us from touching the (probably expensive) prototypes.
Mercedes-Benz micro-converters
Micro-converters can be directly connected to any number of cell pairs. This allows developers to program and control individual cell pairs independently without charge. Engineers demonstrated this on a workbench, placing mixed test cells under load and independently turning on and off certain cell pairs.
Engineers say the new micro-converters open the door to mixed cell typeschemicals, and more in various situations. The converters can enable the package to have LFP cells, NMC cells, and solid state cells all together, and can call different types of cells with different shapes and conditions to work in their efficiency windows. That could open a new door for performance cars from the automaker's AMG division.
Mercedes-Benz micro-converters
The new approach could translate into faster charging rates, longer driving range, and more flexibility in pack design, according to Mercedes engineers.
Mercedes-Benz paid for travel and accommodation through Green Car Reports to bring you this information.