General Motors Co. has acquired the assets of Israeli battery software startup Algolion Ltd. in a deal that continues the American automaker’s push toward electrification.
The software from Algolion will be paired with GM’s internal capabilities to develop batteries for its electrified vehicle (EV) fleet. The acquisition was led by GM’s Technology Acceleration and Commercialization group that works to identify emerging technology to support GM’s battery development.
Algolion’s software uses data streams from EV battery management systems to help identify anomalies in cell performance to ensure proper vehicle health management. This provides an early detection of battery hazards including thermal runaway propagation events.
The software uses algorithms to identify minuscule changes that could impact battery health weeks earlier than other methods, GM said. The program does this without the need of additional hardware or sensors while the battery continues to operate normally.
Under the deal, Algolion and its employees will remain in Israel.
GM has been active in acquiring technology that fits with its move to phase out gas and diesel vehicles by 2035 and become carbon neural by 2040. The company has invested billions of dollars in four EV manufacturing sites in Michigan and has invested in battery development for its plans to move its entire fleet to electrified models.
Another major part of this transition is to source raw materials for batteries for EV such as the $650 million equity investment in Canadian vendor Lithium Americas Corp. It is also securing a new source of factories for building EV batteries including an Ultium cells joint venture plant with LG Energy Solution in Warren, Ohio, which is in production. And additional joint venture sites in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and Lansing, Michigan, are scheduled to open in 2023 and 2024.
