​​Expansion of Battery Management System Integration Facilities for Lithium-Ion Battery Modules​

Quallion, LLC upgraded existing on-site facilities to implement a Battery Management Systems Electronics laboratory to enhance its capability to test and integrate Battery Management System's with battery modules to address an increasing demand for alternatives to hydrocarbon fueled vehicles. State of the art test equipment was procured, installed, and validated for use in the Battery Management System Electronics laboratory.

The design, manufacture and test of Battery Management System electronics was also undertaken as was the build of battery modules to demonstrate the functionality of the upgraded Battery Management System Electronics lab in integrating Battery Management System and battery modules for use in electric vehicle platforms. Quallion's Battery Management System and Battery Modules were integrated into the RailScout electric vehicle (EV) provided by Land Systems Corporation. The RailScout is an unmanned, battery powered railroad track inspection vehicle developed as an alternative to the gasoline and diesel fueled rail track inspection vehicles currently in use. The unmanned RailScout is expected to provide higher efficiency and safer inspection capabilities as comparted to the operator manned inspection vehicles currently in use.

The project is expected to reduce toxic and criteria pollutant emissions continually since replaced track inspection vehicles would use battery power instead of gasoline or diesel. The greenhouse gas emission reduction is estimated to be four metric tons per year, at projected RailScout implementation for a typical year. Finally, the project increases awareness of EV's as alternatives to non-traditional vehicles that use hydrocarbon fuels.