SENSIBAT · Project

Smart Sensors Inside Batteries Tell You Exactly When They'll Fail

energyTestedTRL 5

Imagine your car battery could talk to you — telling you its exact temperature, pressure, and health from the inside, not just guessing from the outside. Right now, battery management systems work like a doctor diagnosing you without ever looking inside your body. SENSIBAT put tiny sensors directly inside lithium-ion battery cells so you get real-time data on what's actually happening at the electrode level. This means you can charge faster, use more of the battery's capacity in cold weather, and predict failures before they happen.

By the numbers

24V

Battery module voltage demonstrated

5Ah

Pouch cell capacity with integrated sensors

Prototype pouch cells connected in series in demonstrator module

Consortium partners across 7 countries

EUR 3,333,930

EU funding for research and demonstration

Total project deliverables completed

The business problem

What needed solving

Battery manufacturers and EV companies currently manage batteries blindly — relying on external voltage and current measurements to guess what's happening inside cells. This leads to conservative charging limits, wasted capacity in extreme temperatures, unexpected failures, and costly warranty claims. There is no commercial way to see inside a working battery cell in real time.

The solution

What was built

SENSIBAT built cell-integrated sensors measuring internal temperature, pressure, conductivity, and impedance, embedded directly into 1Ah and 5Ah lithium-ion pouch cells. They delivered a BMS-slave demonstrator that reads these sensors and a complete 24V battery module with at least six sensor-equipped 5Ah cells connected in series, plus improved state estimation algorithms (SOC, SOH, SOE, SOP, SOS).

Audience

Who needs this

EV battery pack engineers at automotive OEMs needing better state-of-health predictionGrid storage operators facing capacity degradation and safety risks in large installationsLi-ion cell manufacturers wanting real-time quality control during productionBattery management system (BMS) developers looking for richer internal cell dataSecond-life battery companies needing accurate remaining capacity assessment

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Electric vehicle manufacturing

enterprise

Target: EV battery pack integrators and automotive OEMs

If you are an EV manufacturer dealing with unpredictable battery degradation and warranty claims — SENSIBAT developed cell-integrated sensors that measure internal temperature and pressure in real time, feeding improved state-of-charge and state-of-health algorithms. Their 24V battery module demonstrator with at least six 5Ah pouch cells proved the concept at module level. This means more accurate range prediction, faster charging without damage, and fewer costly battery replacements.

Stationary energy storage

mid-size

Target: Grid-scale battery storage operators and integrators

If you are a battery storage operator struggling with capacity fade and safety risks across large battery installations — SENSIBAT's internal sensing technology measures conductivity and impedance separately for the anode, cathode, and electrolyte. This lets your BMS detect degradation and failure mechanisms as they begin, not after they cause damage. With 12 consortium partners across 7 countries, the technology was validated for Li NMC cells and is transferable to other chemistries.

Battery cell production

enterprise

Target: Li-ion cell manufacturers and quality control teams

If you are a battery cell manufacturer facing high scrap rates and inconsistent cell quality — SENSIBAT integrated pressure and temperature sensors directly into 1Ah and 5Ah pouch cells during production. Their BMS-slave demonstrator reads these sensors in real time, giving you cell-level quality data that external testing cannot match. The project also completed a cost-benefit analysis and recycling study for sensor-equipped cells.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to integrate these sensors into our battery cells?

SENSIBAT conducted a dedicated cost-benefit analysis for batteries with integrated sensors as part of their deliverables. The project received EUR 3,333,930 in EU funding across 12 partners. Specific per-unit sensor costs are not published in the available data — contact the coordinator for the cost-benefit study results.

Can this work at industrial production scale?

The technology was demonstrated at module level — a 24V battery module with at least six 5Ah pouch cells connected in series, equipped with a BMS-slave board and junction box. Moving from this module demonstrator to full production-scale integration would require further engineering. The consortium's 6 industry partners and 50% industry ratio suggest the scale-up path was considered.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

As an EU-funded RIA project, IP typically stays with the partners who generated it. IKERLAN S. COOP (Spain) coordinated the project. Licensing arrangements would need to be discussed directly with the relevant consortium partners who developed the specific sensor or BMS components you need.

Which battery chemistries does this work with?

SENSIBAT was developed specifically for Li NMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt) battery types. The project objective states the technology can be transferred to serve other battery chemistry types, though validation was done on Li NMC cells.

How does this improve battery safety?

The internal sensors detect pressure changes (from gas evolution and mechanical strain) and temperature spikes inside the cell in real time. SENSIBAT developed a dedicated State-of-Safety (SOS) concept included in the BMS, enabling early detection of failure mechanisms before they escalate to thermal runaway.

What is the timeline from here to a commercial product?

The project closed in December 2023 with working module-level demonstrators. Based on available project data, the technology reached validation at module scale (TRL 4-5). Commercial deployment would likely require 2-3 more years of industrialization, cell-format adaptation, and automotive qualification.

Consortium

Who built it

SENSIBAT brought together 12 partners from 7 European countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Netherlands), with a strong 50% industry ratio — 6 industry partners alongside 2 universities and 4 research organizations. The project was coordinated by IKERLAN, a Spanish technology research center. Having 2 SMEs in the mix suggests both established players and agile companies contributed. For a business looking to adopt this technology, the balanced consortium means there are multiple potential technology providers and integration partners across the European battery value chain.

IKERLAN S. COOPCoordinator · ES
AVESTA HOLDINGparticipant · BE
AIT AUSTRIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GMBHparticipant · AT
NXP SEMICONDUCTORS FRANCEparticipant · FR
UNIRESEARCH BVparticipant · NL
NXP SEMICONDUCTORS NETHERLANDS BVparticipant · NL
VARTA INNOVATION GMBHparticipant · AT
POLITECNICO DI TORINOparticipant · IT
BEDIMENSIONAL SPAparticipant · IT
FLANDERS MAKEparticipant · BE
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITEIT EINDHOVENparticipant · NL

How to reach the team

IKERLAN S. COOP is a well-known technology center in the Basque Country, Spain — their battery team contact can be found through their institutional website.

Order a report on this consortium See IKERLAN S. COOP profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the SENSIBAT team to discuss licensing their internal battery sensing technology? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the right technical contact.

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