Finally, A Fix for the 12V Battery Achilles Heel?

Freescale introduces intelligent sensor for car battery monitoring

Freescale Semiconductor today introduced the MM912J637 intelligent
battery sensor (IBS), which accurately measures the voltage, current
and temperature of lead-acid batteries and calculates the battery state,
all while operating in harsh automotive conditions. The ability to
accurately assess these battery parameters is becoming more
important with increases in the number of hybrid vehicles on the road
and overall electronic content in vehicles, as well as the introduction of
start-stop systems...

“With the rise in electrical content in hybrid and electric vehicles and
the advent of the start-stop systems, it’s crucial to be able to
accurately monitor a vehicle’s battery at all times, especially under
tough automotive conditions,” said Gavin Woods, vice president and
general manager of Freescale’s Analog, Mixed-Signal & Power Division.
“We are providing the industry’s first fully automotive qualified and
cost-effective solution that helps to ensure precise monitoring of
important battery parameters which can be shared with other vehicle
systems and the driver, providing the driver a certain amount of peace
of mind when it comes to knowing the battery’s status.”

Complete article.



From this picture over at CleanMPG.com, it looks like the unit fits on
one of the Optima "yellow tops." But is there a model for the OEM
Optima replacement, and better yet the OEM battery itself?

The biggest unanswered question is, WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

Strangely, when I do a Google search for images on this,
one of the pictures is:

I hope this isn't just a pipe dream.