Maxim Integrated announced that its lithium-ion (Li+) battery monitor is being used by Nissan for the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid, a sport utility vehicle for the North America market. The Li+ battery system for the Nissan Pathfinder Hybrid is supplied by Hitachi Automotive Systems. Hitachi Vehicle Energy developed the system and incorporated Maxim's IC.
Maxim's Li+ battery monitor provides self-diagnostics and robust daisy-chained data communications that easily handles the high-voltage requirements of the automotive industry. Maxim's highly integrated solution enables a smaller, lighter weight, and high-performance Li+ battery system in the hybrid. Using Hitachi's battery system with Maxim's Li+ battery monitor IC, the Pathfinder Hybrid achieves greater driving range than competitive systems and improves the overall safety of the battery system.
"Maxim's battery cell-monitoring IC was integral to achieving the highly reliable, smaller, lighter, and high-power Li+ battery system required for the newest hybrid car," said Mr. Koji Masui, Department Manager, Lithium Ion Battery Development Dept., Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
"The automotive market is a major focus for Maxim, and I am pleased that Nissan selected our cell-monitoring IC for its Pathfinder Hybrid," said Kent Robinett, Managing Director, Automotive Marketing for Maxim Integrated. "Maxim is advancing into a next-generation EV/HEV powertrain system, and we will continue to develop highly integrated products for this important market."
Maxim, a leader in analog innovation and integration, is unique among semiconductor companies in its ability to integrate extensive and different analog functions on a single chip. Maxim's highly integrated solutions help customers produce smaller systems with greater energy efficiency.