Eatron and LG Energy Solution describe a computationally efficient way to detect lithium plating directly inside a battery pack. Plating occurs when metallic lithium deposits on the anode. It can happen at high charging rates or low temperatures and affect battery life and safety.
US application US 2026/0261137 A1 was published on September 3.
Analysis on limited hardware
Pack sensor readings are processed on edge processors. The system transforms voltage data, extracts features and evaluates them with a trained model. The prediction is also intended to include uncertainties and explanations.
If the software detects a risk, the claims allow it to change charging or discharging, or shut the system down. The description also mentions cloud training using fleet data. The actual decision is still intended to take place in the vehicle or battery system.
Assessment: Good control needs good data
An early, nondestructive warning could make fast charging safer and avoid unnecessarily conservative limits. Its usefulness depends on sensor quality, training data and reference measurements. False positives slow charging; missed deposits increase risk. The application does not publish a reliable detection rate across different cell chemistries and temperatures. It concerns a diagnosis and control chain, not a new battery cell. Neither a patent grant nor series production use is established.