ABCDE Project: Advanced Battery Cells with Disruptive Electronics
The ABCDE project pioneers a new generation of smart, autonomous battery cells that rethink how batteries are designed and used. By integrating advanced electronics and embedded intelligence directly into the cell, ABCDE enables real-time insights, self-management, and early failure detection — laying the foundation for safer, longer-lasting, and more sustainable battery systems across Europe.
About the project
Traditional battery management systems (BMS) overlook the individual cell dynamics in a pack or system. The ABCDE project will focus on refining this approach by introducing an innovative concept of smart and autonomous battery cells.
These next-generation cells will:
- Independently monitor its own temperature, voltage, and charge level
- Have the capability to perform self-diagnosis and early failure detection
- Communicate wirelessly with the Battery Management System
- Store a digital battery passport to track performance, health, and lifecycle
Through this approach, ABCDE enables more accurate state-of-health predictions, earlier failure detection, and simplified reuse or recycling at end-of-life. Together, these advances will result in batteries that are safer, last longer, and can be reused more easily, a major step forward for the Flemish and European battery value chain.
The project brings together VITO (as coordinator), imec, and UHasselt, combining expertise in sensor technology, battery system integration, and advanced modeling.
Objectives
- Develop autonomous, sensor-integrated battery cells that collect and process high-fidelity, real-time data directly at the cell level.
- Enable self-monitoring and early failure detection, reducing safety risks and extending battery lifetime.
- Create a digital battery passport for transparent tracking of battery health, performance, and lifecycle, supporting EU Battery Regulation compliance.
- Evaluate the feasibility and added value of implementing an advanced cell concept compared to current state-of-the-art battery cells, battery management systems, and state estimation models.
- Strengthen Flanders’ position as a European battery innovation hub by fostering collaboration between research and industry across the entire value chain.
Partners
Programme support
This project is made possible thanks to the support of VLAIO (cSBO programme) and Flux50, and is guided by an Industrial Advisory Board representing different parts of the battery value chain, ensuring strong industrial relevance and impact.
