SLUAAQ5 May 2024 BQ769142 , BQ76942 , BQ76952 , BQ76972
Yes, BAT- must be tied to VSS when the device is being used. Failure to do so results in incorrect voltage measurements as VC0 (ground of the battery) and VSS (ground of the chip), as these are different. Most applications use a net-tie or 0-Ohm resistor to connect the two nodes at the systems, allowing to distinguish the routing of the BQ IC ground and the high-power ground used for the battery pack.