If The Battery Show 2025 demonstrated anything, it’s that the future of electrification depends as much on systems engineering as it does on chemistry. This year’s exhibits highlighted progress in battery technologies, along with integration across software, power electronics, materials, and manufacturability to advance electric vehicle (EV) performance and scalability.
Part I of our show coverage examined advances in cells, materials, and battery safety. Part II takes a closer look at the technologies shaping that progress, featuring developments in virtual testing, hybrid sensing, lightweight inverter housings, and circular design. Together, these innovations reflect a maturing ecosystem focused on advancing the efficiency, intelligence, and manufacturability of EVs.
The Battery Show is already scheduled to return to Huntington Place in Detroit from October 12th to 15th, 2026. We’re already looking forward to seeing what the year ahead brings for batteries and the next phase of electrification.
Virtual testing powers
Software is the backbone of electrification, supporting how EVs charge, drive, and communicate across an increasingly connected ecosystem. To accelerate development, dSPACE is helping engineers move testing earlier in the process with Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) simulations and virtual ECUs (V-ECUs) that replicate the behavior of real control units long before hardware exists.
By generating virtual twins of ECUs, engineers can validate application software, run-time environments, and even parts of the basic software entirely in simulation. This shift-left approach reduces costs and shortens timelines by allowing teams to start debugging and validating functionality directly on a PC or in the cloud rather than waiting for physical prototypes.
Virtualized EV and EVSE models running in dSPACE VEOS allow engineers to test charging communication software before hardware exists.
For EV charging systems, dSPACE’s Smart Charging Solution provides ready-made models for virtualizing the supply equipment communication controller (SECC) and the electric vehicle communication controller (EVCC). Developers can test communication protocols and interoperability for all major global standards, including ISO 15118, DIN SPEC 70121, CHAdeMO, GB/T, and ChaoJi, even before a real ECU or charging station is built.
The system also supports simulation of dc charging, Plug & Charge authentication, TLS encryption, and expired certificate scenarios, creating a complete virtual environment for validating safety, security, and communication performance in EV charging systems.
By combining virtual ECU generation with SIL-based smart charging simulation, dSPACE enables automakers and suppliers to design, test, and validate complex e-mobility software faster, earlier, and with greater confidence.
Safer cell simulation
Testing a battery management system (BMS) can be risky when it involves real cells under high-current or imbalanced conditions. Pickering Interfaces’ new 5-amp PXI battery simulator offers a safer and more flexible alternative.
The 5A PXI battery simulator from Pickering Interfaces supports high-current, multi-channel testing for EV battery management systems.
“The 5A battery cell simulator is new for us,” shared Mitchell Kelley, field sales engineer, Pickering Interfaces. “It expands our battery cell simulation line from 300 mA up to 5 A. It’s unique in the PXI architecture, which allows modularity to build out the system from R&D lab space to larger systems as well. The higher amperage allows parallelization with other channels, giving a lower-cost way to test out the BMS.”
Available in PXI and PXIe formats, the 41-754 and 43-754 models allow engineers to emulate battery cells or modules across low and high-voltage stacks. Each channel is fully isolated from ground and from other channels, enabling series connections that replicate the behavior of stacked battery architectures in advanced EVs.
By emulating cells without storing energy, the simulator eliminates hazards such as overheating or thermal runaway while delivering consistent, repeatable test conditions. Engineers can instantly switch between simulated states such as cell imbalance, overcharge, or short circuit, dramatically reducing test time and improving safety.
Additionally, the PXI platform integrates easily into hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems, enabling real-time validation of state-of-charge and state-of-health algorithms. Its compact, modular design makes it scalable from bench-top development to full-scale automotive test environments, giving EV engineers a flexible path from prototype to production validation.
With higher current capacity, precise readback, and modular scalability, Pickering’s latest battery simulator offers an efficient, low-risk way to accelerate EV BMS development and ensure safer, more reliable battery performance.
When shunt + Hall tech combine
In high-voltage EV battery systems, safety and accuracy begin at the disconnect. Traditionally, engineers have relied on two separate sensors, a precision shunt for measuring thousands of amps and an isolated Hall effect sensor for fault detection, to ensure the battery management system (BMS) operates safely under all conditions.
However, LEM’s new Hybrid Supervising Unit (HSU) brings both technologies together for the first time in a single, compact device, designed specifically for Battery Disconnect Units (BDUs) in electric vehicles.
LEM’s Hybrid Supervising Unit (HSU) integrates shunt and Hall effect technologies in a compact footprint for EV battery disconnect units.
By uniting shunt and open-loop Hall effect sensing, the HSU simplifies architecture, enhances redundancy, and streamlines functional safety compliance to ASIL D. Integrating the hybrid device directly into the BDU reduces cost, footprint, and weight while maintaining high accuracy across a ±2000A range and temperatures from −40° to +125° C.
“The HSU reduces the total bill of materials and minimizes cycle time at the customer’s end,” said Jérémie Piro, product manager for Battery Management Systems and Battery Storage at LEM. “It enables system developers to reach the ASIL D safety level required for EVs, while allowing easy system upgrades without impacting the mechanical layout.”
The shunt’s ultra-low resistance of 25µΩ provides precise current measurement, while the Hall effect section offers galvanic isolation for rapid fault detection. Together, they deliver reliable dual-channel supervision to the BMS, ensuring continuous safety monitoring without compromising efficiency or form factor.
LEM’s HSU represents a major advancement in EV power electronics, combining hybrid sensing in a standard shunt footprint to help engineers build smarter, safer, and more compact battery systems.
A smarter way to switch
As the EV industry moves toward higher voltages and faster charge rates, Schaltbau’s C305/C330 and C805/C830 contactor series are designed to keep pace. Handling up to 3,000 amps in a compact form factor, the series supports Level 2 and Level 3 megawatt-class charging, helping reduce system complexity while improving safety and efficiency.
Schaltbau’s C330 contactor, rated for up to 1,000 V and 3,000 A, engineered for high-power e-mobility systems.
The C805 and C830 models meet IATF 16949 automotive standards, making them ideal for use inside onboard chargers, dc/dc converters, and vehicle-integrated charging systems. Their C3xx counterparts serve the stationary side of the ecosystem, such as fast-charging stations, battery energy storage, and grid converters, where the same performance is needed without automotive certification.
Each contactor uses permanent magnetic arc quenching to prevent overheating and explosion risk, with silver alloy contacts for low power loss and integrated economizers to minimize coil energy use. Rated for 15,000 amps short-time current capacity, they deliver protection and reliability for high-power EV systems.
“These products are also available as C805 and C830, which are for e-mobility applications and are IATF compliant, where our C3xx series is for stationary applications,” said Carolyn Sauer, director of Business Development, Schaltbau North America.
With automotive-grade design, compact packaging, and consistent performance under continuous load, Schaltbau’s latest contactors bring safe, scalable performance to every side of EV charging infrastructure.
Better housing
The challenge of an ideal inverter design has been balancing strength, weight, and shielding performance. SOGEFI Group’s new thermoplastic inverter housing addresses these competing demands with a PVD-coated structure that delivers aluminum-level EMI protection while remaining lightweight and electrically insulated.
Developed with an advanced PVD (physical vapor deposition) coating, it achieves EMI shielding performance equivalent to aluminum while maintaining the safety advantages of thermoplastics. The material’s inherent electrical insulation eliminates the need for additional layers, improving high-voltage safety and reducing material costs.
SOGEFI Group’s thermoplastic inverter housing mock-up showcases a lighter, EMI-shielded design aimed at improving efficiency and manufacturability in EV inverter systems.
“This replaces the aluminum housing with a thermoplastic housing,” explained Corey Brown, director of R&D North America, SOGEFI Group. “We have a coating on the inside of the housing which covers all of the shielding concerns while meeting stringent EV EMC requirements.”
Validated to CISPR25 Class 5 (RE310), one of the most stringent automotive EMC standards, the housing combines electromagnetic shielding, thermal integration, and design flexibility in a single compact package.
The housing’s lightweight construction contributes to vehicle mass reduction, supporting greater range and energy efficiency without compromising durability or thermal performance. The design also supports complex geometries and integrated features such as clips, ribs, and seals, and incorporates SOGEFI cold plates for top and bottom cooling configurations.
By combining shielding, insulation, and cooling within a single structure, SOGEFI delivers a next-generation inverter housing that enables safer, more efficient, and more compact EV power electronics.
Connectivity matters
As EV charging moves toward higher power and faster speeds, connector systems must evolve to handle increased current while remaining lightweight and cost-efficient. TE Connectivity showcased its latest busbar and charging connectivity solutions at The Battery Show, designed to meet the demands of today’s charging standards and those still to come.
TE Connectivity’s aluminum busbar system supports high-current EV charging architectures, designed for efficiency, durability, and NACS interfaces.
“The latest interface that everybody is switching to is the NACS or Tesla standard,” explained Ram Kishore, R&D product development engineer, TE Connectivity. “We have a solution for that standard, while also offering capabilities for busbar connectivity. Busbars have strong potential to carry higher currents and meet the demands of future chargers.”
The North American Charging Standard (NACS), originally developed by Tesla, is rapidly becoming an industry benchmark as more automakers adopt it for future EV platforms. TE Connectivity’s aluminum busbar systems support this transition, delivering efficient, high-current pathways that reduce weight and cost without sacrificing electrical or thermal performance.
Central to the company’s approach is the move to aluminum, which offers significant weight and cost savings while maintaining excellent electrical and thermal performance. This is critical as megawatt-class charging becomes more common across passenger and commercial EVs.
Busbars also play a vital role in maintaining safe, stable current flow between the charging inlet, battery pack, and power electronics. TE’s optimized aluminum designs are engineered for durability, manufacturability, and long-term reliability under the elevated thermal and electrical loads found in next-generation EV architectures.
As automakers and charging infrastructure providers prepare for the broader adoption of the NACS, TE Connectivity continues to help bridge the gap between evolving charging protocols and the hardware required to deliver fast, reliable power.
On-demand debonding
Adhesives play a critical role in EV manufacturing, bonding battery housings, structural panels, sensors, and thermal materials. But traditional adhesives make disassembly difficult once those parts reach end of life.
Henkel’s Electric Delamination Layer (EDL) technology addresses that challenge with a sustainable, debond-on-demand solution that enables fast, precise separation of bonded materials through the application of low-voltage electrical current. Within seconds, materials can be separated cleanly, allowing components to be reused or recycled without damage.
Henkel’s Electric Delamination Layer (EDL) demo highlights low-voltage adhesive debonding for EV repair, reuse, and recycling.
“Our Electric Delamination Layer material applies as a liquid, then cures to create a strong bond,” explained Chloe Jindra, senior application engineer, Henkel. “When low-voltage current is applied, it releases in under 30 seconds, producing a clean side and a peelable side that allows the components to be recycled.”
The technology supports the transition to a circular economy by helping manufacturers design EV systems that prioritize repairability and material recovery. By enabling safe disassembly, these debonding adhesives extend product lifecycles and keep valuable materials circulating within the e-mobility ecosystem.
Filed Under: Adhesives, Batteries, Componentry, FAQs, Featured, Featured Contributions