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NI collaborates with EA Elektro-Automatik on Battery Test for Electric Vehicles

08 September 2021 – NI (National Instruments) announced it collaborated with EA Elektro-Automatik (EA) GmbH & Co. KG, a Germany manufacturer of laboratory power supplies, high-performance power supplies and electronic loads, to offer bidirectional power supplies that support battery cycling and power-level test for electric vehicles (EVs). EA’s power supplies will be integrated into NI’s software-connected toolchain as part of NI’s power electronics offering to optimize battery test workflows. This joint effort accelerates the path to Zero Emissions by shortening time to market and improving safety and performance throughout the lifecycle of the battery.

The U.N. 2021 Climate Report’s findings that global temperatures will reach critical levels in the next 20 years have accelerated the demand for broad-scale implementation of EVs as a critical step to limit greenhouse gas emissions. However, validating EV batteries remains a critical factor in scaling this technology, as the battery makes up 70% of the cost of EV development.

Power electronics are essential for EV battery testing to meet safety and performance expectations, without compromising on the flexibility that rapid innovation requires. Integrating EA’s devices into NI’s toolchain gives EV test engineers and lab managers more flexible battery cycling configurations for their test labs, and quicker response time for new power level test requirements.

“NI and EA Elektro-Automatik share the same vision of providing high performance and flexibility for test engineers to ensure test labs meet their evolving needs,” said Noah Redding, NI senior director of validation for NI’s Transportation Business Unit. “As demand for electric vehicles continues to grow, we at NI understand it is our responsibility to help the market Engineer Ambitiously to meet this moment and accelerate the path to Vision Zero. We are looking forward to the opportunities that will come through this collaboration with EA in helping engineers move faster and optimize battery test workflows to bring this important technology to the market.”

“This partnership combines industry-leading control, measurement and power into state-of-the-art test systems. These systems allow customers to speed up time to market while driving corporate zero emissions initiatives,” says Eric Turner, Managing Director of EA Elektro-Automatik, Inc USA. “The renewable energy test market is an essential step in product development and production. EA is proud to be a technology enabler via power regeneration technology that reduces energy consumption by up to 96%.”

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