The BMW i3 model currently on the market features the AS8510 battery sensor. This battery management system (BMS) monitors the voltage and current of the 400V lithium-ion battery that powers the vehicle's electric motor, ensuring the functional stability of the vehicle's battery system.

In electric vehicles, the optimization of energy storage and battery life are essential to provide customers with sufficient driving range and reliability. ams’ AS8510 supports BMS in highly accurately calculating the available remaining capacity (SOC, State of Charge) of lithium-ion batteries by providing precise measurement information on current and voltage. This means that drivers can accurately predict the vehicle's driving range based on the remaining battery capacity before the battery is completely discharged.

If a special compensation circuit is supported, the sensor system mounted on the BMS can measure current with ±0.5% precision and voltage with a precision of ±0.1% or greater over the entire operating temperature range (-40°C to +125°C) and lifecycle of the AS8510. In addition, the AS8510 provides features such as a zero-offset architecture, low noise, high linearity, multi-channel architecture, and low drift, making it easier to design current and voltage measurement systems for the i-series compared to using other sensor interface architectures.

The AS8510 provides integrated data acquisition front ends that include two standalone 16-bit sigma-delta ADCs. Measuring current across a shunt resistor on a single channel ranging from a few milliamperes to up to 1 kA, this product provides digital output via the serial peripheral interface (SPI). Through a secondary channel, this product can capture three different voltage sources simultaneously with current samples.

The AS8510 fully complies with the international standard AEC-Q100. The AS8510 device supports the efforts of automotive manufacturers to comply with functional safety requirements, along with ISO 26262 standard requirements.

Bernd Gessner, Vice President and General Manager of the Automotive Business Unit at ams, stated, “While techniques for monitoring the State of Charge (SOC) and State of Health (SOH) of electric vehicle batteries are constantly improving, BMW has established a new benchmark for battery management system design with the new i3. ams is pleased to support BMW in achieving highly accurate measurements of battery parameters in the demanding environment of the vehicle drivetrain.”