Hyundai Motor, Microsoft team up to create ‘digital twin’ EV battery life device

Hyundai Motor Group and Microsoft Korea announced they have teamed up to develop a device for measuring and improving the performance of electric vehicle batteries. The product has been dubbed the “digital twin,” and it was said to be a very important item for EVs.

Hyundai Motor and the Korean unit of Microsoft have laid the cornerstone of establishing an EV battery asset management platform that is mainly banking on Microsoft Azure-based digital twins solutions. Azure is a cloud computing service operated by the Redmond, Washington-headquartered tech company for application management via Microsoft-managed data centers.

Hyundai Motor said that the new digital twin device functions by creating an identical product of a device on a virtual platform. Once created, it can be used for experiments on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analysis models by applying different settings like driving patterns, road conditions, and climate.

Once the results of the tests are determined, that automaker will be able to devise or formulate solutions that will accurately measure EV battery life. As per The Korea Herald, Hyundai Motor stated that by applying this technology, a system would be activated, and this can alert drivers.

On the infotainment screen, various options are sent in the form of pop-up messages. Some of the options that can be suggested by the system include “Instead of air conditioner, using ventilation seat increases energy efficiency” or “Acceleration will affect lowering battery life.”

In a nutshell, Hyundai’s digital twin project is designed to analyze driving data and other factors that affect the lifespan of EV batteries by using AI, machine learning, and physical models. The company said it would consider using this function for future EV model units.

“We have been able to verify and establish a differentiated platform that can manage batteries for EVs with the technology and various solutions from Microsoft,” Hyundai Motor Group’s open innovation strategy group vice president, Chul Park, said in a press release. “Hyundai Motor Group will continue to lead the eco-friendly car market by adding the battery asset management platform into the diverse EV lineups.”

Jenna Lee, Microsoft’s head of Asia technical sales, IoT & MR technology, said in a separate statement that “the importance of batteries is becoming bigger with the commercialization of EVs.” She added that the partnership is more meaningful because it is the first instance where the Microsoft Azure Digital Twins platform is utilized to improve the battery performance of EVs.