ConFlow wraps up acquisition of AI-powered battery testing technology

Just a day after confirmation was made that the Nobel prize for Chemistry will go to John B. Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino for the development of lithium-ion batteries, a new testing and development device is changing hands, demonstrating storage technology is far from its final stage of development.

British company ConFlow said it has acquired the BatteryWare battery testing service technology from Apollo Research Labs for an undisclosed sum.

BatteryWare comprises three testing devices, one of which will be used exclusively to generate field data for ConFlow’s solid-state battery and generator hybrid, which will begin real-world testing in the first quarter of next year. The battery was launched in August with some startling claims. The ConFlow product claims to combine a solid-state battery with nanotechnology which enables it to charge itself using electrons from the surrounding atmosphere. ConFlow said the device does not use lithium or any other materials with a significant ecological footprint.

Cheap battery data generation

The acquired BatteryWare tech is a low-cost monitoring device which is added to larger battery-powered devices to generate data about battery status, wear and life expectancy. The most basic version, the Imperial e, can be added to an EV battery for the same cost as a floor mat, its manufacturer said. A service operator can read battery data during a service stop and make assessments regarding stress level and battery life expectancy. The premium BatteryWare product, the Perfect White Box, collects and transmits data continuously with an artificial intelligence-supported system analyzing data in real-time.

ConFlow said it will deploy the testing technology on electric vehicles, starting with a Tesla. The technology relies on 10% in-lab testing and 90% real world examination to produce live, data-driven results to enable the evaluation of new generations of batteries and power sources.

The Imperial e BatteryWare device is being remodeled to gather data from the ConFlow solid-state battery. The new version, dubbed BW Operational Protection, will be used exclusively for the ConFlow device.