By ATN
Summary: PULSETRAIN has entered a strategic partnership with Yazaki Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA) to develop an intelligent MultiCell Bridge based on multilevel power electronics technology. The collaboration aims to demonstrate the industrial feasibility of this approach through a proof of concept, with the goal of significantly improving battery pack efficiency, safety and service life in electric vehicles. The partnership was first presented publicly at CES in Las Vegas earlier this year.
Key engineering takeaway: The MultiCell Bridge combines intelligent, single-cell-level battery management with integrated power electronics using multilevel technology. This enables precise, independent control of each battery cell and integrates inverter and charging functions directly into the battery system. By eliminating the need for separate inverters and chargers, the architecture reduces system complexity, weight and packaging volume, while remaining compatible with different battery chemistries and vehicle applications.
Why it matters: As battery systems become more central to vehicle performance, architectures that improve efficiency, longevity and safety while reducing cost and complexity are increasingly attractive to OEMs. The PULSETRAIN–Yazaki collaboration brings together disruptive startup innovation and large-scale industrialisation expertise, increasing the likelihood that advanced multilevel battery architectures can move beyond prototypes into series production and contribute to more sustainable, scalable electromobility solutions worldwide.
The deep-tech startup PULSETRAIN is partnering with Yazaki Europe Middle East Africa (EMEA), a central part of one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers in the field of electrical and electronic systems. Together, the two companies are developing an intelligent MultiCell Bridge based on multilevel technology. As part of a proof of concept, the partners want to demonstrate the industrial feasibility of this key technology – with the aim of significantly increasing the efficiency, safety and service life of battery packs in electromobility. The collaboration made its first public appearance at the CES in Las Vegas at the beginning of January.
MultiCell Bridge as a key innovation
The collaboration focuses on the development of an advanced system that combines intelligent cell management with integrated power electronics. By using multilevel technology, it enables precise, independent control of each individual battery cell – and thus opens up new potential for efficiency, safety and scalable cost optimization in electromobility. In addition to single-cell cell control, the MultiCell Bridge with multilevel technology redefines the electric powertrain by integrating inverter and charging functions directly into the battery system. The architecture is compatible with all battery types and applications, creating a flexible, space-saving solution that eliminates the need for separate inverters and chargers, reduces complexity and weight, and improves overall performance.
Yazaki brings its expertise as a global leader in electronic components and battery connection systems to industrialize the MultiCell Bridge. With its strong expertise in high-precision hardware development and manufacturing, Yazaki supports the transformation of this disruptive technology into a reliable, production-ready solution. The focus of the partnership is on innovative hardware architectures and scalable production processes to meet the high demands of electromobility.
The signing of the agreement marks the beginning of a global partnership designed for long-term cooperation. While PULSETRAIN relies on Yazaki as a strong partner for industrialization, Yazaki relies on PULSETRAIN’s expertise in disruptive technologies. The two companies have already impressively demonstrated their cooperation at the CES in Las Vegas: At the booth of YII – Yazaki Innovations Inc., the first joint ideas for multilevel technology were presented – with strong interest, valuable discussions and consistently positive feedback from the market.
Strong alliance for electromobility The globally active Yazaki Corporation has been a family-run company since its founding in 1929 and is now one of the world’s leading automotive suppliers – with over 230,000 employees in 46 countries. The company develops and manufactures wire harnesses, connectors, electronic systems, instrumentation, customer-specific cable systems and high-voltage solutions for all vehicle segments, among other things.
The partnership with PULSETRAIN shows how the strengths of both worlds complement each other: start-ups bring new perspectives and disruptive technologies, globally established companies like Yazaki their industrial infrastructure, proven standards and international reach. Together, they are creating the conditions to bring innovations to market more quickly and to make electromobility more sustainable and efficient worldwide.
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