Electric Vehicle Battery Management System with Integrated

Charge Monitoring and Fire Protection

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 monitors voltage, current, and temperature; estimates State-of-Charge (SoC) and State-of-Health
(SoH); and triggers protective actions upon anomaly detection.
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 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 real-time
oversight.
This work presents an Arduino-based BMS prototype integrating voltage/current sensing, temperature monitoring, SoC/SoH estimation,
ThingSpeak IoT telemetry, and SMS alerting via a SIM800L GSM module.
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.
Sai Durga Prasad et al. [4] proposed cell-balancing features ensuring equitable charge distribution, augmenting 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 with SMS alerts under faults.
IV. SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
A. Block Diagram Overview
The BMS centres on an Arduino Uno (ATmega328P) that orchestrates all peripheral devices. Signal chain: 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. Central
processing unit of the BMS.
ACS712 Current Sensor: Hall-effect linear sensor; copper conduction path generates a magnetic field proportional to current, converted
to analogue voltage. Sensitivity: 185 mV/A.
Voltage Sensor: Resistive divider module (0–25 V DC) scaling battery voltage into the Arduino's 0–5 V ADC range.
DHT11 Temperature Sensor: Digital sensor with ±2 °C accuracy via single-wire protocol for real-time thermal management.
Li-ion Battery (3.7 V): Ternary lithium cell; full-charge ≈4.2 V, cut-off ≈2.5 V. Nominal 3.7 V reflects graphite-anode/ternary-cathode
electrochemical equilibrium.
BMS Protection Board: Hardware-level overcharge, over-discharge, and short-circuit protection as the first line of defence before
firmware reacts.
 SIM800L GSM Module: Dispatches SMS fault alerts via AT-command-driven SoftwareSerial 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).

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: (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 recipient.
SoH is currently a 100% placeholder, with Kalman filter integration planned for the next iteration for more precise state estimation.
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.

Fig. 2. LCD readouts: (left) charging — VOLT = 3.35 V; (right) discharging — VOLT = 3.31 V.
B. Protective Functionality
 When temperature exceeded the threshold, the BMS autonomously activated the cooling fan and alarm with a visual LCD indication.
Upon detecting a short-circuit fire risk, it triggered emergency shutdown without external intervention, exemplifying its role as a self-
regulating safety arbiter.
C. Thermal Management
Electrochemical processes generate heat during operation; convective transfer through the enclosure helps dissipate it. The DHT11
provides continuous feedback so the algorithm can dynamically curtail charging or discharging rates under thermal stress.
VII. CONCLUSION
This paper has presented a pragmatic 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 SoC estimation, active cell-balancing, and scalable designs amenable to mass production,
developments anticipated to accelerate global EV adoption.
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, “BMS for EVs using Li-ion Batteries,” in Proc. i-PACT, Vellore, 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.