Why NRE Is Essential in Custom OEM Battery Pack Development
By Jerry Bobinski, EVP of Sales, Apex Mobile Power
When companies evaluate a custom OEM battery pack, one of the first questions is often about the Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) cost. While it may appear to be an additionalupfront expense, NRE is actually a strategic investment that transforms acollection of battery cells into a safe, reliable, production-ready powersolution.
Developing a custombattery pack involves far more than selecting cells and connecting wires. Everyapplication has unique power, runtime, environmental, safety, and packagingrequirements. NRE covers the engineering effort required to design a batterypack that meets those exact specifications while optimizing performance,manufacturability, and reliability throughout the product's lifecycle.
What's Included in Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE)?
While every project is unique, NRE typically encompasses many of the one-time activities required to move from concept to production, including:
Engineering & Design
1. Electrical design and battery architecture
2. Cell chemistry and cell selection
3. Battery Management System (BMS)and PCB design
4. Protection circuitry development
5. Mechanical enclosure and pack design
6. Thermal analysis and thermal management
7. Connector, cable, and interface design
8. Design reviews and engineering documentation
Tooling & Manufacturing Development
1. Injection mold design and tooling
2. Custom assembly fixtures
3. Functional test fixtures
4. Production tooling
5. Manufacturing process development
6. Work instructions and production documentation
Prototype & Validation
1. Prototype builds
2. Design verification testing
3. Electrical and thermal performance validation
4. Charge/discharge optimization
5. Reliability and life-cycle testing
6. Design refinements based on test results
Certification & Compliance
1. Safety testing
2. Regulatory certifications (such as UL, IEC, or UN38.3, depending on the application)
3. Transportation compliance
4. Documentation required for product approvals
Why It Matters
A custom battery pack eliminates the compromises that often come withoff-the-shelf solutions. Instead of redesigning your product around a standardbattery, the battery is engineered around your product. This results in theright form factor, optimized energy density, improved runtime, better thermalperformance, and a more reliable end product.
Just as important, NRE gives you access to the expertise of an experienced battery engineering team. Your battery partner understands lithium-ion cell technologies, battery management systems, manufacturing processes, and regulatory requirements, helping identify potential issues early and reducing development risk before production begins.
While NRE is a one-time investment, the benefits continue throughout the life of your product. A well-engineered battery pack can reduce warranty claims, simplifymanufacturing, improve product performance, and shorten time to market. Ratherthan viewing NRE as an upfront cost, it's more accurate to see it as thefoundation for a battery solution that's engineered specifically for yourapplication and built to perform reliably for years to come.
