Global testing and certification organization DEKRA and Sphere Energy, a pioneering innovator in leveraging artificial intelligence for battery development, have entered a strategic partnership whereby DEKRA has become a shareholder in Sphere. The goal of the partnership is to establish a new standard approach for testing and AI-based simulation and provide Europe’s leading battery testing and validation organization.
The collaboration combines DEKRA’s long experience in the areas of testing, certification and homologation with Sphere Energy’s specialist cell expertise and proprietary AI-based simulation models. The two companies will offer a seamless end- to-end validation ecosystem to support customers across the entire development cycle – from early-stage cell development at Sphere’s Battery Technology Centre in Germany, to testing, validation and certification of fully integrated battery systems used in cars and energy storage systems via DEKRA’s global network of battery testing laboratories: in Arnhem, Netherlands, Guangzhou, China and in its newly opened flagship the new Large Battery Test Center in Klettwitz, Germany.
Building on DEKRA’s State of Health (SoH) services, the two companies will co-develop advanced AI solutions for real-time SoH monitoring in commercial vehicles, to track battery performance, optimize lifecycle costs, and ensure safer, more sustainable operation. With this partnership, Sphere Energy and DEKRA are setting new standards in battery validation and in use-monitoring, making both, development and application safer.
says Christoph Nolte, Executive Vice President of the DEKRA Service Division Vehicles.
The partnership is built on a shared vision, that together DEKRA and Sphere can build a hybrid approach in which AI-based simulation, advanced data management, and smart physical testing works hand in hand to deliver faster, cost efficient, and predictive validation services. This approach closes the gap between conventional validation and the requirements of modern, data-driven development.
“DEKRA is committed to investing in digitalization and recognizes the growing role of simulation in product testing”, says Fernando E. Hardasmal, Executive Vice President of the DEKRA Service Division Digital Products. “By combining simulation with physical testing, we aim to be future-ready and deliver greater value to our customers. As part of this collaboration, we will support the development of new simulation and hybrid services”.
In conjunction, the two companies can build a seamless testing and validation services for customers. Both companies together not only offer support with physical validation and regulatory compliance, but also use advanced artificial intelligence to reduce development costs and shorten time to market. This investment and partnership are underlining the commitment in supporting the energy transition and the development of e-mobility.
“In DEKRA, we have a partner that enables us to scale our expertise in artificial intelligence within the development process. Our mission is to simulate products from the earliest stages, gaining insights into their final performance before they are physically built. This accelerates the path to market for battery-powered products and establishes a new pillar of innovation for Europe’s industries”, says Lukas Lutz, Co-founder of Sphere Energy.
Sphere Energy has developed leading expertise in AI and Data Science to create an advanced simulation platform that understand battery performance and lifetime in an application. The company’s innovative software platforms shorten validation cycles, increase reliability, and facilitate smarter design decision-making at an early stage of the development process.
Source: DEKRA