Optimal dimensioning and battery management in an electric vehicle
Introduction:
Many drivers see the range as the main drawback of currently available electric vehicles, and the unknown rate of battery aging is a source of skepticism towards buying used electric vehicles. These problems are being made to solve at all levels: better battery chemistry, lighter and more aerodynamic bodies, more efficient power electronics and engines, smarter sizing, and better battery management.
Tasks:
- Study the standard procedures for measuring the energy (fuel) consumption of vehicles, in different driving modes (city driving, intercity driving, highway), and the simulation model of a commercially available electric vehicle. In a given simulation model, identify the interrelationships of the model parameters, eg battery capacity, and total vehicle mass. Create a simulation test environment that allows testing the range and performance of the vehicle according to standard procedures.
- To design an electric vehicle, a compromise is required between three parameters: performance, range, price. Set an optimization problem to which arbitrary two of the three parameters can be fixed, and the third will be calculated.
- During sudden accelerations and regenerative braking, the charging and discharging currents of the battery are extremely high, which degrades the battery rapidly. A possible solution is the addition of supercapacitors to the vehicle model because supercapacitors suffer from extremely high charging and discharging currents and have a very long service life. A supercapacitor is an independent energy reservoir that can exchange energy with both motors and a lithium battery. Develop an algorithm for managing energy flows in an electric vehicle that ensures minimal degradation of the battery and tests its operation in a simulation, some of the standard driving cycles.
Additional information:
- Number of students: 1
- Sequential development
- Long-term project, students may start as undergraduates and contiune work towards graduation
- Keywords: battery management system (BMS), electric vehicles, battery sizing, battery aging, battery chemistry, driving range