EHW5* Confusion
LiBCM was originally designed for use with lithium battery modules from the G3 Honda Insight. These modules were initially thought to contain EHW5 cells. However, we later determined that these modules do not actually contain EHW5 cells, but rather a different Panasonic cell, which I am now calling a "5AhG3" cell.
Since the (incorrect) EHW5 term was used for more than a year, there are numerous (incorrect) references to 'EHW5' spread across this website, and also insightcentral.net. I intend to correct all incorrect instances on this website, but it won't happen overnight. Until then, you can use the following guide to determine which cell type a particular 'EHW5' reference refers to:
-Seeing the text "EHW5" means I haven't corrected the text yet. In this case, I am probably referring to the '5AhG3' cell, except when I referenced specifications directly from the manufacturer.
-Seeing the text "EHW5*" means I have reviewed the text and was referring to an actual EHW5 cell/module.
-Since the text "5AhG3" was not previously used, any instance refers to the G3 Honda Insight lithium cell/module.
This is a module containing EHW5* cells (note the individual cells are blue):
This is a module containing 5AhG3 cells (note the individual cells are silver):
Q: What does this mean?
A: Overall, not much. We were just previously using the wrong name.
Q: Which cell is better?
A: In general: the EHW5*
A: When used with LiBCM: They're essentially the same; LiBCM doesn't push either cell hard enough to take advantage of the EHW5*'s additional capabilities.
Q: Can I use EHW5* modules with LiBCM?
A: Not yet (and probably never). The hardware supports EHW5* modules, but the VoC->SoC relationship and overall capacity are VERY different. The LiBCM firmware is not presently configured to work with EHW5* modules, and might never be updated to do so.
Q: Can I use both EHW5* and 5AhG3 cells in the same LiBCM conversion?
A: No (and never). The two cell behaviors are drastically different, which prevents LiBCM from accurately determining SoC. Theoretically the firmware could have options to select which type of module is installed in each bay (e.g. 'BAY1IS_EHW5', 'BAY2IS_5AHG3', 'BAY3IS_5AhG3'), but that will never happen.
Q: How did this mistake happen?
A: Primarily due to manufacturers not releasing their datasheets to 'small-fish' tinkerers. We're left to deduce what we can from one-off tidbits spread across the interwebs. Information wants to be free!