Mahle Aftermarket will use the charging plug, in addition to the existing OBD port, for battery diagnostics of electric vehicles in the future. To this end, the service and spare parts division of the automotive supplier is collaborating with Volytica Diagnostics, a software developer based in Dresden, Germany. It evaluates the measured data in the cloud and provides valuable information about the state of the electric vehicle battery. In this way, Mahle says projections of necessary repairs can be made, for example.
Since the start of 2022, the new diagnostics solution for passenger cars has been tested in practice together with TÜV NORD Mobilität and a “well-known European fleet operator,” Mahle says. It is expected to be available from Mahle by the end of 2022. In the next phase, both partners want to offer the battery diagnostics for battery electric trucks and buses.
Mahle says it can get initial diagnostics on the condition of the vehicle battery via the vehicle’s charging socket within 10 minutes. This measurement is carried out independently of the data provided by the vehicle manufacturer via the OBD diagnostics port and is therefore particularly neutral and independent.
Afterward, the battery data is comprehensively evaluated and interpreted in the Volytica cloud and the result is provided to the user. With this new development, Mahle is opening up new, future-proof business areas beyond the combustion engine for independent shops.
