On Friday, General Motors announced the acquisition of Algolion, an Israel-based software business that can detect possible risks in battery cells.
The financial details were not provided. The manufacturer stated that Algolion’s six employees, including the company’s founders, will remain in Israel and join around 850 others at the GM Technical Center in Herzliya.
Algolion has created software critical for any automaker attempting to scale EVs. Niles Fleischer and Alex Nimberger launched the nine-year-old firm, which creates software that leverages data streams from EV battery management systems to detect irregularities in cell performance. The software can assist in detecting battery risks, such as thermal runaway propagation events, which occur when a cell catches fire and spreads.
“Algolion has developed cutting-edge battery analytics and prediction software that will help General Motors deliver great performing EVs to our customers,” said TAC vice president Gil Golan.
According to GM, the program can detect minute changes in battery health weeks before other approaches. This is especially useful to GM, which has direct knowledge of battery risks.
Due to a battery fire danger, the company issued two recalls for thousands of Chevrolet Bolt EVs. GM eventually halted manufacturing at its Orion assembly plant in Michigan.
GM revealed over 18 Bolt fires worldwide, which the company and its battery supplier, LG Chem, blamed on two production flaws: a ripped anode tab and a folded separator. While LG made up the $2 billion tab for the recalls, GM’s earnings and reputation suffered.
GM distributed replacement battery modules to dealers, allowing owners of recalled Chevy Bolts to swap out old modules for new ones. Due to supply chain issues, the manufacturing halt lasted months. In April 2022, GM restarted production.
The acquisition was led by a new GM organization designed to search out promising battery technology. The new Technology Acceleration and Commercialization team seeks possible acquisition targets, investment opportunities, and collaborations that will strengthen GM’s position in battery research.