Renesas Electronics Introduces New Multi-Cell Battery Front-End Products for High-Voltage Systems

     Renesas Electronics Group announced the launch of a new family of multi-cell complete battery front-end (BFE) ICs for battery management systems (BMS), the RAA48920x series (RAA489204 and RAA489206). Designed for electric vehicles, energy storage, high-voltage power tools and other high-voltage devices that use high-voltage battery packs, it provides fast, flexible cell balancing up to 200mAh+—a key feature that can be used at up to 62V heat. Fast charging and efficient use in large, plug-in tolerant battery packs.

     "BMS is the 'brain' of a battery pack, and with the increasing popularity of BMS in applications such as UPS and data centers, there is a need to support higher The demand for high-performance ICs for voltage and larger battery pack sizes is exploding, and BFE is the key to BMS. Our new RAA489206 and RAA489204 ICs combine flexibility and high integration to make it easier for customers to simplify the design process, And create robust, economical battery systems for the growing EV, UPS and energy storage markets."

     The RAA489206 is designed for applications such as higher voltage electric vehicles, where larger cell counts and cell-to-cell temperature differences are more likely to cause cell-to-cell imbalances. The RAA489206 provides comprehensive high-side battery protection and monitoring for 4S to 16S battery packs. The RAA489204 features optimized daisy-chaining, accelerated inter-device communication, enhanced diagnostics, and an internal cell balancing option to support higher voltages and cell counts required by UPS systems, grid backup, and other energy storage systems.

     The new IC's high level of integration simplifies design cycles and significantly reduces customer system BOM costs, reducing design and BOM selection cycles from months to weeks. These ICs also have built-in self-diagnostics, which improve their safety features, reduce firmware effort, and ease the design burden required to meet safety standards. Products are pin-to-pin compatible with Renesas' existing BFE devices, further simplifying the design cycle and providing customers with a fast and seamless migration path to new BFE ICs