LONDON, Sept. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- BMS is a key component of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles. To ensure safe and reliable operation of batteries, BMS needs to have various functions such as battery status monitoring and assessment, charging and discharging control, balancing and so forth.

The fire accidents of electric vehicles (particularly pure electric vehicles) since 2013 result in consumers' concerns about the safety of electric vehicles. Compared with HEV, PHEV and BEV have more complex battery system structure, which requires more excellent battery endurance and safety; therefore, PHEV and BEV need more mature and reliable BMS. The BMS industry will benefit from the expansion of the electric vehicle market.

Throughout the global BMS market, traditional auto parts makers represented by Denso and Preh have seized opportunities by virtue of their important positions in the vehicle supply chain. As Toyota's most important parts supplier, Denso has provided battery management modules for Prius, Camry Hybrid and other models. Preh mainly offers BMS for BMW I series pure electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, the battery vendor LGC has established cooperative relationship with GM, Ford, Volvo and many other enterprises by providing power battery packs and related BMS to them. As for automobile companies, Tesla performs remarkably with advanced BMS technology. In contrast, professional BMS firms develop relatively slower due to technical and financial factors.

In the first half of 2014, China produced 20,692 new energy vehicles and sold 20,477 ones, higher than the figures in 2013. In 2015, Chinese new energy vehicle market capacity will be quickly released, especially plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and mini pure electric vehicles will witness faster growth, which will drive the rapid development of the Chinese BMS market.

In the Chinese BMS market, there are three types of enterprises:

Vehicle manufacturers, including BYD and BAIC BJEV. BYD integrates batteries and BMS with electric vehicle R & D, and shows advantages in terms of cost and efficiency.

Overall, China BMS industry still lags behind foreign countries in technical specifications and business models. To narrow the gap, some companies hope to make progress by mergers and acquisitions. For example, BAIC BJEV enhances battery system performance and technological strength via the cooperation with SK, Atieva and other enterprises; Zotye meets its demand for BMS by holding Jieneng; Desai masters some share of Epower Electronics in order to upgrade its technology from consumer electronics to electric vehicle BMS.