Texas Instruments (TI) today introduced the industry’s highest-cell-count battery monitor with an integrated electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) engine, bringing predictive intelligence, comprehensive data, and real-time diagnostics to battery monitoring in EV (electric vehicle) and ESS (energy storage system) applications. The company is showcasing the innovation at the 2026 PCIM (Power Conversion, Intelligent Motion) Expo and Conference, June 9-11, in Nuremberg, Germany.

“The electrification of transportation and the rapid expansion of energy storage are redefining what battery performance must deliver, and as a leader in battery management technology, TI is uniquely positioned to meet that challenge,” said Wenjia Liu, Vice President and General Manager of BMS (battery management systems) at TI. “Our high-cell-count battery monitor with a built-in EIS engine helps ‘shine a light’ inside battery cells, delivering rich chemical-state data that enables systems’ software to make informed, real-time decisions on safety and performance of the battery pack, allowing engineers to address the most critical challenges in battery management.”

The BQ79826Z-Q1 battery monitor enhances safety and extends battery life by detecting potential failures from within battery cells. The single chip delivers the highest-cell-count monitoring in its class, tracking up to 44% more channels—26 vs. 18—than previous generations. With the channel increase, the device significantly decreases the number of components required in a battery pack, reducing system complexity and cost without compromising reliability.

“It’s truly a giant leap forward here,” said Brian Burk, Systems Engineer and Product Manager, Battery Monitor Products, Texas Instruments, in a media briefing for the new device. “With 26 cells, designers can eliminate multiple monitors in the system. streamlining the architecture, cutting the bill of materials, and freeing up that valuable board space within the system.”

The integrated EIS technology delivers continuous, real-time insight that reveals the battery’s health and warns of issues before they become critical. It enables the battery monitor to detect fault conditions earlier, helping maintain safety and notifying passengers of potential vehicle hazards such as thermal runaway.

These same benefits extend to ESSs, where reliable battery monitoring is critical to meeting the growing power demands, including those of artificial intelligence data centers. As effective storage solutions become increasingly vital in the grid-to-gate ecosystem, EIS gives engineers real-time visibility into the state-of-charge and state-of-health of each battery cell, regardless of system size.

The performance of an EV or ESS is fundamentally affected by the quality and efficiency of its batteries. The new battery monitor supports up to 26 cells per device, setting a new standard with eight more than any competing solution. Fewer monitoring devices mean a lower bill of materials, simplified architecture, and reduced board space requirements, translating to “meaningful cost savings” per channel without sacrificing quality or reliability.

When paired with TI’s BQ79881-Q1 pack monitor and optional communications bridge, the devices are said to create a powerful chipset that works across different module sizes, battery chemistries, and mechanical designs, giving engineers the flexibility to design once and deploy everywhere. This scalability reduces engineering overhead and accelerates time to market for automotive and energy storage designers.

The new integrated circuit has a wider voltage range, spanning from 0 to 5.5 V, and can better support new sodium ion and other solid-state battery chemistries coming online now, added Burk.

With a voltage accuracy of less than 2 mV across a temperature range of -40°C to +125°C (-40°F to +257°F), higher resolution analog-to-digital converters, and ultra-low noise, the BQ78926Z-Q1 enables more accurate state-of-charge calculations, directly addressing one of the biggest concerns for EV drivers—range anxiety. Using EIS technology, this device enables more accurate temperature and state-of-charge estimation, helping designers achieve longer battery life and faster charging without compromising battery health.

With an EIS measurement time that is five times faster than previous solutions, the device delivers the highest functional safety voltage reading per cell. Compliance with ISO 26262 ASIL-D (Automotive Safety Integrity Level D) gives designers a smarter, more efficient path to safer, longer-lasting batteries.

At PCIM, the new battery monitor will be featured in an EIS-enabled BMS reference design, alongside other innovations such as an 11-kW single-stage bidirectional onboard charger, a 50-kVA solid-state transformer cell stack with Ethernet, and Fast Serial Interface communication and short-circuit protection for silicon carbide power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors with technology from Flex.

Preproduction quantities of the new battery monitor are now available on TI.com, with production quantities expected by the end of 2026. To support designers, complete development support, including evaluation modules and reference designs, is available. For more information, see ti.com/BQ79826Z-Q1.