Volvo has patented a counterfeit battery software detection system, to detect fake aftermarket batteries in its electric vehicles. This should help close a loophole in its after-sale income, and protect its customers from counterfeit scams. We welcome this initiative, because electric vehicle battery fires from pirate batteries are discouraging new entrants to this important market.
The Volvo Counterfeit Battery Cell Detection System
The patent application that we link to below, adds processing circuitry to the electric vehicle battery management system. This circuit receives information via one or more sensors in the battery.
The counterfeit battery software detection system compares this data with the profile of the battery that Volvo originally supplied with the new vehicle. The software then determines whether the installed battery varies from the standard type or not.
Why This Software Is So Important to Volvo
David Wren provided useful background information on The Post and Courier website some time ago. This reveals how Volvo won a trademark infringement case in Virginia against ‘dozens of Chinese counterfeiters’.
Apparently those foreign companies ‘sold billions of dollars worth of fake and inferior car parts over the internet’. The court documents attest to how these felons opened numerous accounts on eBay, Amazon and other vendor sites.
The offenders then sold parts over the internet bearing counterfeit Volvo logos, that purported the items were original Volvo equipment. Crimes like these deprive original manufactures of after-sale profit, which is a important part of their income.
Customers Benefit From Counterfeit Detection Systems
Customers can run serious risks by unwittingly installing counterfeit electric vehicle batteries in their transport. If they read the small print, they may find they invalidated the vehicle guarantee, and perhaps their insurance policy too.
And if a counterfeit battery fails – and perhaps causes a fire – customers are unlikely to be able to trace the supplier, and recover damages from them. There is always a reason why something is cheaper. But that does not necessarily mean it is as good as the original product.
More Information
Avoiding Counterfeit Batteries Here’s How
Changing Face of Battery Technology
