Topic 7

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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