Custom R&D Battery Test Rig
At Gelion, A Deep-Technology Pioneer
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From R&D Bottleneck to 40% Savings: How ControlX Built Gelion’s Agile Battery Test Rig
The Problem: An Agile R&D Process Trapped by a Rigid Automation Plan
Gelion, a leader in advanced battery technology, needed to rapidly test and validate new battery prototypes. Their R&D process required a high-precision, flexible test rig.
The default industry path was to use traditional automation: an Allen Bradley PLC and a proprietary SCADA system for control and data.
This approach created three problems for an agile R&D team
The Challenges
The Challenges
High Cost
Significant upfront capital for PLC hardware and inflexible SCADA software licenses.
Vendor Lock-In
The system would be a "black box," making it difficult and slow for Gelion's own team to modify for new tests.
Data Inflexibility
On-premise solution that couldn't easily integrate with Gelion's modern cloud data infrastructure.
The Solution
The Solution
A Hybrid Approach: Marrying Industrial Control with Custom Software
ControlX was engaged to build the system. Our first action was to provide strategic guidance. We advised Gelion against the expensive, traditional approach.
We proposed a "hybrid" solution that delivered industrial-grade reliability without the high cost and rigidity. This system was designed to be versatile, open, and fully empowering for Gelion's R&D team.
Industrial Controls for Safety
We used our deep controls and safety knowledge to build the core system, ensuring it could run complex charge/discharge cycles safely and autonomously.
Custom Software for Agility
Instead of a costly SCADA package, we developed a custom NodeJS application to act as the high-level supervisor, providing an intuitive, web-based dashboard.
Built for Modern Data
Our software-centric approach allowed us to build custom connectors that integrated directly with InfluxDB for high-speed data logging and pushed data to AWS buckets for long-term cloud storage.
The Result
The Result
Accelerated R&D, Delivered in Weeks—Not Quarters
Our hybrid, software-first approach delivered immediate, measurable business value. We provided a versatile, future-proof solution that gave Gelion's team the power to maintain and modify the system to meet their future R&D needs.
40% Cost Reduction
Saved an estimated 40% in upfront capital by replacing expensive, proprietary PLC and SCADA licenses with a flexible, custom NodeJS application.
Extreme Agility
We delivered the first usable test controller in just two weeks, not months. New feature requests were typically delivered in "a week or two."
Autonomous Testing
The final solution was robust enough to run complex, scheduled test sequences unsupervised, allowing Gelion to maximise R&D throughput around the clock.
Göran Klingberg
Project Engineer - Renewable Energy
"Gelion approached ControlX Engineering to develop a battery test controller to be used for a custom development project. Alex was happy to provide the specified hardware and software solution according to our requirements, but he also suggested a more cost-effective and versatile open-source solution which would be easier for us to maintain and modify to meet future needs.
Alex and Thisara have an agile approach to system development, meeting milestone targets and being open and flexible to changing requirements. We continue working with ControlX with confidence in their expertise and collaborative approach to problem solving."
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