Battery Management at the Center of Electrification

A Conversation with Georg-Friedrich Graf, CEO of Munich Electrification

Electrification is entering a new phase.

What started as a transformation in automotive is now expanding into energy systems, infrastructure, and industrial applications. As batteries move into these new roles, the systems that manage them are becoming increasingly critical.

To explore this shift, we spoke with Georg-Friedrich Graf, CEO of Munich Electrification, a Germany-based company specializing in battery management systems (BMS) for both electric vehicles and stationary energy storage. While not an OPAL-RT customer, Munich Electrification brings deep expertise in BMS design and offers a valuable perspective on how electrification is evolving across industries.

In this conversation, Graf shares how the role of the BMS is changing, why energy storage is accelerating, and what challenges engineers face as systems scale.

Q: How would you describe Munich Electrification today?

Munich Electrification focuses on battery management systems, including both hardware and software, for electrified applications.

The company started with a strong focus on automotive, particularly commercial vehicles, and has expanded into stationary energy storage over the past few years. Today, both areas represent a significant part of the business.

This dual focus provides a unique perspective on how battery systems are evolving across industries.

Q: There’s been mixed sentiment around electrification lately. Is it slowing down?

Short-term trends vary depending on region, policy, and market conditions.

However, the long-term direction remains clear. Electrification is continuing to expand, even if the pace differs across segments. In some areas, such as commercial vehicles, adoption is still in relatively early stages.

From a system perspective, the need for electrification has not changed.

Q: What are you seeing in the rise of stationary energy storage?

One of the most significant shifts is how battery storage is being used.

It is no longer limited to backup applications. Storage systems are now actively used to balance supply and demand, especially in regions with high renewable penetration.

This creates new opportunities, but also new requirements.

In these applications, batteries are part of the energy market. They generate value by storing and dispatching energy at the right time.

Q: How does that change expectations for battery management systems?

It raises the bar significantly.

In automotive, estimation errors might affect range or performance. In energy storage, those same errors directly impact how much energy can be used and sold.

This makes accuracy in state estimation a key factor in system performance.

It also increases the importance of advanced algorithms, sensing, and system-level optimization.

Q: Are battery systems very different between automotive and storage applications?

Yes, and the differences are becoming more pronounced.

Automotive systems prioritize packaging, weight, and fast charging capabilities. Stationary systems operate at higher voltages and focus on long-term stability, integration, and energy optimization.

As both markets grow, systems are becoming more specialized to their application.

Q: We hear a lot about software-defined systems. What does that mean for BMS?

There is a shift toward more flexible system architectures.

Some functions remain at the battery level, particularly safety and security. These need to operate independently to ensure the system remains safe under all conditions.

Other functions, such as state estimation and diagnostics, can be centralized.

This approach helps manage complexity and supports systems with multiple battery packs or configurations.

Q: How is testing evolving as systems become more complex?

Testing is becoming more critical and more challenging.

In automotive, validation processes are well established. Systems are tested through structured stages before reaching production.

In energy storage, full-scale systems cannot be easily replicated in a lab. This makes early-stage validation more important.

Simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing play a key role in validating system behavior before deployment.

Q: What is the biggest challenge in testing today?

Managing variability.

Different applications and customers require different configurations. Each variation introduces new testing requirements.

Building flexible testing environments that can adapt to different voltages, protocols, and system architectures is a key challenge.

Q: What role does cybersecurity play in battery systems?

It is becoming increasingly important.

Battery systems are now part of critical infrastructure, particularly in grid-connected applications. This means security must be considered alongside safety.

Ensuring secure communication and system integrity is now a fundamental requirement.

Q: What advice would you give to engineers entering this field?

Focus on gaining hands-on experience and understanding systems end-to-end.

Working in environments where you can see how components interact within a full system is key. Electrification is growing, and there is strong demand for engineers who can work across hardware and software.

Final perspective

Electrification is not just about deploying new technologies.

It is about building systems that can scale reliably across industries.

Battery management systems are at the center of that challenge, enabling performance, safety, and integration.