A battery monitoring and control system and method of monitoring and controlling provides a redundant and independent symmetric secondary serial bus in addition to a primary serial bus within a battery monitoring and control system that includes a plurality of battery monitoring modules and associated IC battery monitor chips in serial communication with a system controller. Additionally, no two serial communication pins from an interface in operative communication with an associated one of a primary or a secondary serial bus are directly adjacent thereby allowing for continuous battery operation when a single pin in a series of battery monitoring modules becomes non operational failed. Additionally, the battery system remains operational when an open or short circuit occurs in only one of either the primary or secondary serial bus.