My perspective is NON-LFP chemistry and the challenges I face with building a 416 cell Lithium LMO/NMC bank (catch-fire kind).
They waste energy and they add heat to the system. The Batrium system can burn off a little over 1Ah/h. Properly configured passive is basically only good for maintaining top balanced packs. IMproperly configured passive is great for screwing up any kind of balance. I am also frustrated by Batrium as a company itself, so that doesn't help. IMHO, for a system that commands such a hefty premium and includes a module connected to every cell group with those modules also connected in sequence, active balancing should be the norm.
IIRC, Orion and ZEVA are also passive.
Active wastes very little energy, produces no or negligible heat and maximizes overall pack capacity due to balancing throughout the entire operating range. They are also more effective with non-LFP chemistries due to the greater correlation between voltage and SoC.
I plan to add supplemental 4A balancers to my bank. I used them on a 24V version on an experimental basis w/o a BMS, and they kept the cells balanced perfectly.
They waste energy and they add heat to the system. The Batrium system can burn off a little over 1Ah/h. Properly configured passive is basically only good for maintaining top balanced packs. IMproperly configured passive is great for screwing up any kind of balance. I am also frustrated by Batrium as a company itself, so that doesn't help. IMHO, for a system that commands such a hefty premium and includes a module connected to every cell group with those modules also connected in sequence, active balancing should be the norm.
IIRC, Orion and ZEVA are also passive.
Active wastes very little energy, produces no or negligible heat and maximizes overall pack capacity due to balancing throughout the entire operating range. They are also more effective with non-LFP chemistries due to the greater correlation between voltage and SoC.
I plan to add supplemental 4A balancers to my bank. I used them on a 24V version on an experimental basis w/o a BMS, and they kept the cells balanced perfectly.
