Electric Vehicle Battery Management System with Integrated

Charge Monitoring and Fire Protection

Kushal G C, Basavaraj D Harijan, Medar Sandeep Basavaraj, Sai Durga Prasad K
Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, SIRMVIT, Karnataka, India

Abstract — Electric Vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a transformative solution in sustainable transportation. The Battery Management
System (BMS) is central to EV performance, overseeing health, charging, and discharging of the battery pack. This paper presents a cost-
effective, Arduino-based BMS prototype integrating charge monitoring and fire-protection features using an ACS712 current sensor,
voltage-divider module, DHT11 temperature sensor, Li-ion battery pack, DC motor load, LCD display, SIM800L GSM module, and
ThingSpeak IoT telemetry. The system continuously monitors voltage, current, and temperature; estimates State-of-Charge (SoC) and
State-of-Health (SoH); and triggers protective actions upon anomaly detection. Experimental results confirm reliable real-time monitoring
and successful charge/discharge characterisation.
Keywords: Battery Management System, Electric Vehicle, Lithium-ion, State-of-Charge, Fire Protection, Arduino Uno, IoT.

I. INTRODUCTION
The rapid proliferation of Electric Vehicles (EVs) has thrust battery safety and efficiency to the forefront of engineering research. Unlike
conventional internal-combustion vehicles, EVs rely entirely on electrochemical energy storage, making the Battery Management System
(BMS) an indispensable — meaning absolutely essential — component. A BMS must assiduously monitor every cell to prevent
catastrophic failure modes such as thermal runaway or deep discharge.
Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries dominate traction applications owing to their superior energy density, low self-discharge rate, and extended
cycle life. However, their propensity for exothermic decomposition under overcharge or elevated temperature necessitates vigilant —
meaning watchful and alert — real-time oversight.
This work presents an Arduino-based BMS prototype that integrates voltage/current sensing, temperature monitoring, SoC/SoH
estimation, ThingSpeak IoT telemetry, and SMS alerting via a SIM800L GSM module. Ensuing sections delineate the system architecture,
hardware, firmware, and experimental validation.
II. LITERATURE REVIEW
Shinde et al. [1] highlighted that a well-maintained BMS is paramount for battery credibility and security, demonstrating measurable
greenhouse-gas reductions through intelligent energy management.
Puyad et al. [2] introduced an EV BMS with integrated charge monitoring and fire protection, establishing that temperature control, fault
detection, and suppression mechanisms substantially mitigate fire risk.
Bhuvanesh et al. [3] reviewed BMS attributes encompassing cell monitoring, state estimation, thermal management, and fault analysis,
concluding that Li-ion batteries offer the optimal balance of efficiency and longevity for electric mobility.
Sai Durga Prasad et al. [4] proposed cell-balancing features ensuring equitable charge distribution, augmenting — meaning increasing —
both performance and service life. Satyanarayana et al. [5] underscored real-time supervision as critical to preventing overcharging hazards.
III. OBJECTIVES
Principal objectives: (i) develop a functional EV BMS prototype; (ii) measure voltage and current via dedicated sensors; (iii) estimate
SoC and SoH in real time; (iv) implement thermal monitoring with automatic protective responses; and (v) transmit telemetry to a cloud
platform and generate SMS alerts under fault conditions.
IV. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
A. Block Diagram Overview
The BMS centres on an Arduino Uno (ATmega328P) that orchestrates all peripheral devices. The principal signal chain is: Li-ion battery
→ BMS protection board → current sensor → Arduino Uno → LCD / IoT / GSM. A DC motor serves as the discharge load for controlled
cycle characterisation.
B. Key Hardware Components
Arduino Uno: ATmega328P microcontroller with 14 digital I/O pins (6 PWM), 6 analogue inputs, and a 16 MHz resonator. Acts as the
central processing unit, reading sensors and actuating protective responses.
ACS712 Current Sensor: Hall-effect linear sensor; copper conduction path generates a magnetic field proportional to applied current,
converted to an analogue voltage by the Hall IC. Sensitivity: 185 mV/A (5 A variant).
Voltage Sensor: Resistive divider module (range: 0–25 V DC) scaling battery voltage into the Arduino's 0–5 V ADC input range for
continuous SoC computation.
 DHT11 Temperature Sensor: Digital sensor providing ±2 °C accuracy via single-wire protocol, enabling real-time thermal
management.
Li-ion Battery (3.7 V): Ternary lithium cell with a full-charge voltage of ≈4.2 V and discharge cut-off near 2.5 V. Its 3.7 V nominal
voltage reflects the electrochemical equilibrium of the graphite anode and ternary cathode.
BMS Protection Board: Provides hardware-level overcharge, over-discharge, and short-circuit protection as the first line of defence
before firmware algorithms intervene.
SIM800L GSM Module: Dispatches SMS fault alerts via AT-command-driven SoftwareSerial communication on Arduino pins 10/11.
C. Charge / Discharge Characteristics
The Li-ion charge curve rises rapidly at low SoC, stabilises in a plateau (≈3.6–3.8 V), then inflects near full charge (≈4.2 V). The
discharge curve exhibits a stable plateau across most of the cycle, followed by a precipitous voltage drop near cut-off (≈2.2 V). This plateau
behaviour is consonant — meaning consistent — with the thermodynamic stability of lithium intercalation.

Fig. 1. Working model of the EV BMS prototype showing Arduino Uno, BMS board, Li-ion battery, current sensor, DC motor, and LCD display.

V. SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION
The firmware comprises a setup() initialisation routine and a loop() cycle executing every 20 seconds. On boot: SIM800L handshaking
via AT commands, DHT11 configuration, Wi-Fi connection, and ThingSpeak client initialisation.
Each loop iteration: (i) temperature from DHT11; (ii) battery voltage with 1:10 divider scaling; (iii) current via I = V_out / 0.185; (iv)
SoC = (V / 12.6) × 100; (v) dual LCD refresh; (vi) ThingSpeak upload (fields 1–5); and (vii) SMS dispatch to the designated number.
SoH is currently a 100% placeholder, with integration of the Kalman filter — a recursive, noise-robust state-estimation technique —
planned for the next iteration.
VI. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A. Measured Parameters
Table I summarises parameters measured during charging and progressive discharge. The fully charged cell showed 3.35 V and 1.2 A,
yielding an SoC of 94.85%.

Condition Time V (V) I (A) SoC (%)

Full Charge — 3.35 1.2 94.85
Discharge 3 min 3.31 1.2 93.57
Discharge 4 min 3.29 1.2 93.42
Discharge 5 min 3.26 1.2 93.26
TABLE I. EXPERIMENTAL TEST RESULTS
 The discharge current remained constant at 1.2 A across all intervals while terminal voltage declined incrementally — consonant with the
flat Li-ion discharge plateau. SoC declined from 93.57% at 3 min to 93.26% at 5 min, confirming the sensitivity of voltage-based
estimation.

Fig. 2. LCD readouts: (left) charging condition — VOLT = 3.35 V; (right) discharging condition — VOLT = 3.31 V.
B. Protective Functionality
When battery temperature exceeded the configured threshold, the BMS autonomously activated the cooling fan and alarm, displaying a
visual indication on the LCD. Upon detecting a short-circuit-induced fire risk, the sensor array triggered emergency shutdown requiring no
external intervention. This autonomous self-regulation exemplifies the BMS's role as a safety arbiter.
C. Thermal Management
Electrochemical processes generate heat during operation, which convective transfer through the enclosure helps dissipate. The DHT11
provides continuous feedback so the control algorithm can dynamically curtail — meaning reduce — charging or discharging rates under
thermal stress.
VII. CONCLUSION
This paper has presented a pragmatic — meaning practical and realistic — EV BMS prototype integrating real-time charge monitoring,
fire protection, IoT telemetry, and SMS alerting. The system successfully characterised Li-ion charge/discharge behaviour, maintained
constant-current discharge profiles, and demonstrated autonomous protective responses under simulated fault conditions.
Future work will incorporate Kalman-filter-based SoC estimation, active cell-balancing circuits, and scalable designs amenable to mass
production — developments anticipated to accelerate global EV adoption by enhancing safety, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
REFERENCES
[1] S. Sutar et al., “Battery Management System for Electric Vehicle,” Int. Research J. Modernization in Engineering Technology and Science, vol. 5, no. 4,
Apr. 2023.
[2] P. Puyad et al., “EV BMS with Charge Monitor and Fire Protection,” ibid., vol. 6, no. 4, Apr. 2024.
[3] V. Vaideeswaran, S. Bhuvanesh, and M. Devasena, “Battery Management Systems for EVs using Li-ion Batteries,” in Proc. i-PACT, Vellore, India,
2019, pp. 1–9.
[4] Sai Durga Prasad K et al., “EV BMS with Charge Monitor and Fire Protection,” IJCRT, vol. 11, no. 5, May 2023.
[5] A. V. Satyanarayana et al., “EV BMS with Charge Monitor and Fire Protection,” IJARST, vol. 14, no. 4, Apr. 2024.