JLR has signed a multi-year deal with Australian green tech, energy and metals company Fortescue to use the latter’s battery intelligence software, Elysia, in the next generation of its electric vehicles. Starting with the new Range Rover Electric, launching later this year, the Elysia software will monitor all future JLR EVs. The software aims to help with battery longevity, safety, and performance. It will also allow JLR to gain detailed insights into battery conditions, offering specific recommendations to improve performance through software updates.
Elysia uses physics-informed digital twins and probabilistic artificial intelligence to identify and solve battery issues, helping JLR optimise battery performance and safety for clients. Plus, monitoring battery health throughout its life will support sustainability by making it easier to transition batteries from electric vehicles to second-life applications.
Sharing his thoughts on the collaboration, Mark Hutchinson, Fortescue CEO, said, “This collaboration showcases the very best of cutting-edge innovation and engineering. Through Fortescue’s breakthrough battery intelligence software, JLR will benefit from a new level of access to battery data and a revolutionary way to monitor its products in the real world, ensuring that every product lives up to the brand’s exceptionally high standards. The lessons and innovations we have both learned from motorsport are now being applied to the management of battery systems on our roads, unlocking a leading future of EV performance for JLR’s customers.”
The collaboration is part of JLR’s ‘Reimagine’ strategy to electrify all its brands by 2030 and achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2039. As per JLR, before the end of the decade, the Range Rover, Discovery, and Defender model lines will each have a pure electric counterpart, while Jaguar will become entirely electric.
Fortescue also has ambitious decarbonisation goals, which include eliminating emissions from its operations by 2030.