Is a battery management system (BMS) required for li-ion?
The biggest issue with a string of batteries is equalization. When batteries in a string don’t have the same characteristics problems occur such as cell reversal. This means the battery is working against the pack and can lead to failure of the entire pack. A complete BMS has several advantages. 1) It charges each cell to its maximum potential . 2) It cuts off a cell during use if it drops below minimum voltage . 3) Informs the operator which battery(s) are dead or near death. . Unfortunately current BMS solutions cost more than a li-ion battery pack. A less expensive solution is that you monitor the batteries occasionally yourself. A more sophisticated option is to purchase a battery monitoring system. . In summary: a BMS is very helpful but not an economical solution at this time. The solution proposed to pack equalization is self monitoring and operator replacement of faulty cells. .
