Energy storage is more important than ever. While electric vehicles may be the most visible example, high-performance batteries are essential across many sectors. Data centres are a fast-growing case in point: integrating on-site energy storage can help manage rapid peaks and troughs in energy use, protecting both infrastructure and uptime.
But metals and minerals are only part of the story. Increasingly, it’s software that’s unlocking what batteries are truly capable of. By revealing how they behave, fine-tuning performance, and inspiring smarter designs, software is opening possibilities far beyond what most people imagine.
To explore what that looks like in practice, we spoke with John Abbott, Principal Applications Engineer at Nyobolt, a company developing instant power solutions capable of charging in minutes while delivering sustained high power.
Inside the Battery’s Brain
High-performance batteries rely on battery management systems (BMS), the embedded “brains” that monitor voltage, temperature, and current and make split-second decisions to keep them within safe operating limits.
In high-performance systems, those limits are pushed hard.
“Our batteries are extremely fast charging and high power. To use them in that way, we must have a very robust understanding of what’s happening in the cell,”
John Abbott, Principal Applications Engineer
Software is a key enabler. It allows Nyobolt to push their battery technology to the edge of their operating envelope, delivering maximum power and uptime while avoiding cell damage or shortening their lifespan.
This requires in-depth knowledge of the limitations of the active materials in the electrodes, the cell construction and detailed cell modelling to understand how they behave, particularly during high-rate charging. This knowledge is critical in developing the monitoring methods and software algorithms needed to reliably predict cell states and generate actionable metrics that can be used to optimise battery health and performance.
Beyond the Pack: Cloud and AI
Historically, BMS software has lived entirely within the battery pack. Increasingly, its reach is extending into the cloud.
“The diagnostic and prognostic potential is huge,” says John. “Big data lets you see patterns you’d never catch from one battery alone.”
John Abbott, Principal Applications Engineer
By collecting real-time data from multiple batteries in operation, operators can use machine learning to spot early warning signs, tailor usage strategies, and feed back improvements. This opens the door to predictive maintenance, where issues are addressed before they escalate, and to fine-tuning performance throughout a battery’s lifetime.
Designing for a Second Life
Software also plays a pivotal role in sustainability. Battery passports are digital records that capture everything from total energy throughput and the remaining usable energy to information about the number of deep discharge events and exposure to high temperatures, making a battery’s condition transparent throughout its life.
That insight can transform recycling and second-life use. For example, an EV battery labelled “end of life” may still have years of service left in less demanding roles like grid storage. Without accurate lifetime data, that potential often goes untapped. With it, second-life opportunities become far easier to spot and put to work.
A Sector on the Rise
For John, battery software brings together three things that make it a rewarding field – technical challenge, environmental impact and the chance to work in a rapidly growing industry.
“It’s nice to feel you’re doing something that helps the green transition,” he says. “And right now, batteries and the software behind them are evolving faster than ever.”
John Abbott, Principal Applications Engineer
As the world moves towards electrification, software is what turns advanced chemistry into real-world capability. It is the invisible layer enabling faster charging, longer life, safer operation and a route to more sustainable energy storage.
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