Rechargeable lithium battery energy storage systems for vehicular applications

Batteries are used on-board vehicles for broadly two applications – starting-lighting-ignition (SLI) and vehicle traction. This thesis examines the suitability of the rechargeable lithium battery for both these applications, and develops algorithms for runtime prediction of the remaining battery charge. The largest market-share of rechargeable batteries is for the SLI application. Lead-acid batteries rule this market presently, although a handful of lithium SLI batteries have recently appeared on the market. The practicality of different lithium battery chemistries has been evaluated for this application over wide-ranging criteria and it has been found that the batteries based on lithium iron phosphate and lithium titanate oxide chemistries commercially available in the market are the most suitable. Lithium SLI batteries would require a higher initial cost and additional electronic hardware in the form of battery management and thermal management systems, but would last the life-time of the vehicle. In fact, with the decrease in the cost of lithium SLI batteries with higher volumes, over the life-time of the vehicle, the total costs of the existing lead-acid battery and the lithium battery would be about the same. The electric traction application is probably the most demanding of all battery applications and imposes the harshest requirements on the battery cells and the battery management system. Algorithms to manage the battery cells for consumer power electronics, for example, do not perform satisfactorily for the electric traction application. This thesis presents algorithms to accurately determine the remaining charge of a lithium battery cell during runtime on-board the vehicle. The algorithm changes slightly depending upon the type of lithium chemistry and could be used in conjunction with different power management strategies on a vehicle with electric traction — whether a pure electric vehicle, hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. An accurate estimate of battery charge is important for the battery management system; allows the battery pack to be used more efficiently, reliably and safely; and also provides a reasonably accurate estimate of the remaining distance that could be travelled to the driver. It also prevents over-charging or over-discharging the battery, which are detrimental to its life, and provides an indication when the battery would need to be replaced. The central contribution of this thesis is in developing an algorithm based on an electrical equivalent circuit model of a rechargeable lithium cell that includes thermal dependence, is accurate, yet simple enough to require low on-board processing capacity. The algorithm has been validated through extensive experimental tests for the lithium nickel-manganese-cobalt and the lithium iron phosphate chemistries at the University of Pisa labs. The algorithm was also successfully implemented using an adaptive state estimator (extended Kalman filter) for overcoming the difficulties imposed by the lithium iron phosphate chemistry. The algorithm was also developed into a model in collaboration with Mathworks for their toolbox and shall be commercially launched later this year. The model algorithm also forms the core of the battery management algorithm for the European Union’s Hybrid Commercial Vehicle (HCV) Project for future HEV trucks and buses by Volvo, Iveco, Daf and Solaris. The model was also used (as part of a battery model) for hybridizing the power-train of passenger buses for Bredamenarinibus (an Italian bus manufacturer) through modelling and simulation. The conventional power trains of three different buses representing different market segments were hybridised using a series-hybrid electric architecture and simulated with different power management strategies over different types of duty cycles, including real-life duty cycles provided by the manufacturer. Even with the increased weight of the hybrid buses (due to additional batteries and electrical equipment) the simulation predicts fuel savings between 22 to 25% depending upon the power management strategy for the hybrid buses. The prototypes of these series-hybrid buses are under production and would be tested in different Italian cities this year, before entering commercial production

Fast Charging Tests (up to 6C) of Lithium Titanate Cells and Modules: Electrical and Thermal Response

There has been much discussion of fast charging of lithium-ion batteries as a means of extending the practical daily range of electric vehicles making them more competitive with engine-powered conventional vehicles in terms of range and refueling time. In the present study, fast charging tests were performed on cells of three lithium-ion chemistries to determine their characteristics for charging rates up to 6C. The test results showed that the lithium titanate oxide chemistry has a clear advantage over the other chemistries especially compared to the Nickel Cobalt Manganese chemistry for fast charging. In this paper, the results of extensive testing of 50Ah LTO cells and 24V modules from Altairnano are reported. The modules were instrumented so that the voltage of the individual cells could be tracked as well as three interior temperatures. Cooling of the modules was done via a cooling plate positioned on one end of the module. Life cycle testing of the 24V module is still underway. The cycling involves fast charging at the 4C rate and discharging at C/2. The voltage at the end of the charge corresponds to a stateof-charge of 90 % and the voltage at the end of the discharge corresponds to a state-of-charge of 24 % resulting in the use of 33.3 Ah (66%) from the module. The charging is done at 200A and the discharge at 25A. The charging time is 10 minutes and the discharge time is 80 minutes. The test cycle is meant to mimic the use of the module in a transit bus application with fast charging. To date the module has experienced 285 cycles without any apparent degradation in Ah capacity or voltage response. The maximum measured temperature inside the module stabilized at about 40 deg C without active fan cooling

Development of Bus Drive Technology towards Zero Emissions: A Review

This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive review of the latest low emission propulsion vehicles, particularly for bus applications. The challenges for city bus applications and the necessity for low emission technologies for public transportation are addressed. The review will be focusing on the London bus environment, which represents one of the busiest bus networks in the world. The low emission bus applications will be analysed from three main areas: hybrid electric buses, battery electric buses and fuel cell buses. This summarises the main technologies utilised for low emissions urban transportation applications. A comprehensive review of these low emission technologies provides the reader with a general background of the developments in the bus industry and the technologies utilised to improve the performance in terms of both efficiency and emission reduction. This will conclude with a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the three main technologies and explore the potential opportunity of each

Modeling and Simulation of Working Characteristics of Lithium Titanate Batteries for Emergency Power Transmission

This paper presents a battery model applied to dynamic simulation software. The simulation model uses only the battery State-Of-Charge (SOC) as a state variable in order to avoid the algebraic loop problem. It is shown that this model, composed of a controlled voltage source in series with a resistance, can accurately describe the lithium titanate battery discharge process. The model’s parameters can be easily extracted from the manufacturer’s discharge curve. In this paper, it is actually applied to the self-starting system after the emergency stop of the EMU, the simulation model of the system is established by MATLAB/Simulink, and the ground test platform is used to simulate the actual working condition of EMU to complete the experimental verification. The results of both simulation and experiment proved that the scheme of battery self-shifting driven system is feasible and correct

Energy storage impact on light rail developments

– Smart cities imply a range of efficient mobility solutions for people and goods at the same time as minimising the environmental burden. This short paper focuses on Light Rail and particularly Tram systems as having advantages in responding to these needs and is the first stage on a longer project which will provide greater detail in due course. It further considers the alternatives for powering the system as an important component in the development of a clean, attractive and economic urban mass transit resource for the smart city. This leads to energy storage as a potential alternative to continuous energy supply such as overhead cables, and is followed by a comparison of various methods of on-board energy storage including batteries, supercapacitors and hydrogen. Interim conclusions are presented

Mining electric vehicle adoption of users

The increase of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and their adverse effects on the environment, have prompted the search for alternative energy sources to fossil fuels. One of the solutions gaining ground is the electrification of various human activities, such as the transport sector. This trend has fueled a growing need for electrical energy storage in lithium batteries. Precisely knowing the degree of degradation that this type of battery accumulates over its useful life is necessary to bring economic benefits, both for companies and citizens. This paper aims to answer the current need by proposing two research questions about electric motor vehicles. The first focuses on habits EV owners practice, which may harm the battery life, and the second on factors that may keep consumers from purchasing this type of vehicle. This research work sought to answer these two questions, using a methodology from data science and statistical analysis applied to three surveys carried out on electric vehicle owners. The results allowed us to conclude that, except for the Year variable, all other factors had a marginal effect on the vehicles’ absolute autonomy degradation. Regarding obstacles of the adoption of electric vehicles, the biggest encountered was the insufficient coverage of the network of charging stations.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mining electric vehicle adoption of users

Rodrigues, R., Albuquerque, V., Ferreira, J. C., Dias, M. S., & Martins, A. L. (2021). Mining electric vehicle adoption of users. World Electric Vehicle Journal, 12(4), 1-31. [233]. https://doi.org/10.3390/wevj12040233 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Funding Information: Funding: This research was funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through ISTAR-IUL’s project UIDB/04466/2020 and UIDP/04466/2020. Funding Information: Acknowledgments: J.C.F. received support from the Portuguese National Funds through FITEC— Programa Interface, with reference CIT INOV—INESC INOVAÇÃO—Financiamento Base. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.The increase of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere, and their adverse effects on the environment, have prompted the search for alternative energy sources to fossil fuels. One of the solutions gaining ground is the electrification of various human activities, such as the transport sector. This trend has fueled a growing need for electrical energy storage in lithium batteries. Precisely knowing the degree of degradation that this type of battery accumulates over its useful life is necessary to bring economic benefits, both for companies and citizens. This paper aims to answer the current need by proposing two research questions about electric motor vehicles. The first focuses on habits EV owners practice, which may harm the battery life, and the second on factors that may keep consumers from purchasing this type of vehicle. This research work sought to answer these two questions, using a methodology from data science and statistical analysis applied to three surveys carried out on electric vehicle owners. The results allowed us to conclude that, except for the Year variable, all other factors had a marginal effect on the vehicles’ absolute autonomy degradation. Regarding obstacles of the adoption of electric vehicles, the biggest encountered was the insufficient coverage of the network of charging stations.publishersversionpublishe

RMIS – Raw materials in the battery value chain

This final report provides the content for the batteries value chain and the related battery raw materials data browser for the JRC Raw Materials Information System. This content includes information and data both on primary and secondary raw materials. The main sections developed are highlighted presented in below table. The content is structured around general questions that both the general public and policy makers may have. Datasets that particularly contribute to improve the availability of data on secondary raw materials, as requested by the Circular Economy Action Plan (2015) are found in the Stocks and Flows, the Reuse sections and in each interactive chart when clicking on the representation of ‘stock’ and ‘waste’.JRC.D.3-Land Resource

A Review of Developments in Electrical Battery, Fuel Cell and Energy Recovery Systems for Railway Applications: a Report for the Scottish Association for Public Transport

This report outlines the current status of batteries, hydrogen fuel cells and short-term energy storage systems for railway and tramway applications. The report includes discussion of issues associated with regenerative braking and the recovery of energy that would otherwise be dissipated as heat during braking. As well as feeding energy back to the supply grid, as in the case of conventional electrified rail systems, energy recovery may also be achieved using batteries, supercapacitors, flywheels or hydraulic devices and developments in each of these areas are reviewed. The advantages of hybrid systems that involve combinations of different power sources and energy storage methods are emphasised and some associated design optimisation issues are discussed. For each of the developments mentioned, there is a brief account given of some transport applications in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This is a rapidly developing field and operating experience with vehicles currently entering service in various countries will provide important additional insight within the next two or three years