Brill Power

Brill Power, an Oxford University spin-out founded in 2016, develops intelligent battery management systems (BMS) to enhance the performance, longevity, and safety of batteries for stationary energy storage and electric vehicles. The company was founded by Dr. Christoph Birkl, Dr. Damien Frost, Dr. Adrien Bizeray, and Carolyn Hicks, who combined their expertise in engineering, data science, and business from their time at Oxford University. The founding idea stemmed from the discovery that a significant portion of lithium-ion cells in discarded battery packs were still usable, highlighting a major inefficiency in conventional battery management.

Brill Power's core technology, the Battery Intelligence Platform, replaces legacy BMS and power conversion technology. It comprises three main components: BrillCore, BrillOS, and BrillAnalytics. BrillCore is the hardware that employs a patented 'active loading' method, which manages each battery cell individually. Unlike traditional systems where the entire battery's performance is limited by its weakest cell, this technology allows stronger cells to deliver more current than weaker ones, extending the battery's life by up to 60% and increasing the energy output of aged batteries. BrillOS is a chemistry-agnostic and hardware-agnostic operating system that offers high-precision monitoring and over-the-air updates. BrillAnalytics is a cloud-based platform that provides data, insights, and predictive analytics on battery health and performance.

The company serves clients in the stationary energy storage and electric vehicle markets, including commercial and industrial buildings, on- and off-grid storage, residential homes, and automotive applications. The business model includes selling its hardware and a Battery Management as a Service (BMaaS) offering, where partners pay a recurring fee for access to the analytics platform and support services. This model aims to lower the upfront capital expenditure for customers. Brill Power has raised a total of $16.4M over 5 funding rounds. Its Series A round in July 2022 raised $10.5 million, led by Legal & General Capital and Barclays Sustainable Impact Capital, with participation from existing investors like Oxford Science Enterprises and new shareholders such as Shell Ventures.

Keywords: battery management system, battery intelligence, stationary energy storage, electric vehicles, battery lifetime, active loading, power electronics, battery analytics, cleantech, BMS hardware, battery optimization, energy storage solutions, lithium-ion batteries, battery data, battery safety, Oxford University spin-out, Battery Management as a Service, BMaaS, BrillCore, battery performance