Energy Storage of EV/HEV
Introduction
• A basic requirement for electric vehicles (EVs) is a portable source of electrical
energy, which is converted to mechanical energy in the electric motor for vehicle
propulsion.
• Electrical energy is typically obtained through conversion of chemical energy
stored in devices such as batteries and fuel cells.
• A flywheel is an alternative portable source in which energy is stored in
mechanical form to be converted into electrical energy on demand for vehicle
propulsion.
• The portable electrical energy source presents the biggest obstacle in
commercialization of EVs.
• A near-term solution for minimizing the environmental pollution problem due to
the absence of a suitable, high-energy-density energy source for EVs is perceived
in the hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) that combine propulsion efforts from
gasoline engines and electric motors.
Nominal Energy Density of Sources
• Energy content of various raw fuels or
materials refers to the energy that can be
extracted from it for useful work.
• The parameter for energy content
evaluation is specific energy or energy
density.
• Specific energy is the energy per unit mass
of the energy source, and its unit is Wh/kg.
• The specific energies are shown without
taking containment into consideration.
• The specific energy of hydrogen and natural
gas would be significantly lower than that of
gasoline when containment is considered. Nominal Energy Density of Sources
Challenges of energy storage
• One of the challenges of energy is to store it in a convenient form so that it
can be utilized when needed.
• In terms of storage, fossil fuels have the biggest advantage since these can
be conveniently stored in a container.
• On the other hand, electrical energy is very useful in delivering work on
demand using a highly efficient electromechanical device; however, energy
storage in electrical form is not simple.
• The mechanism for energy delivery must also be considered for the system
under consideration.
• The energy transportation system has to be secure, efficient and
environmentally friendly.
Electrochemical Energy Source
• The electrochemical devices are the most promising alternative
technologies to the conventional fossil fuel burning power plants both
in a vehicle and utility power stations.
• The electrochemical energy conversion processes have the
advantages of :
• high conversion efficiency,
• large enough power output, and
• the availability of a wide selection of fuels.
• Batteries and fuel cells are energy storage and power generating
devices that are suitable for both portable and stationary applications.
Batteries
• Among the available choices of portable energy sources, batteries have
been the most popular choice of energy source for EVs since the beginning
of research and development programs in these vehicles.
• The EVs and HEVs commercially available today use batteries as the
electrical energy source.
• The various batteries are usually compared in terms of descriptors, such as
specific energy, specific power, operating life, etc.
• Similar to specific energy, specific power is the power available per unit
mass from the source.
• The operating life of a battery is the number of deep discharge cycles
obtainable in its lifetime or the number of service years expected in a
certain application.
Primary Battery & Secondary Battery
• There are two basic types of batteries:
• Primary battery, and
• Secondary battery.
• Batteries that cannot be recharged and are designed for a single discharge are known as
primary battery.
• Examples of these are the lithium batteries used in watches, calculators, cameras, etc.,
and the manganese dioxide batteries used to power toys, radios, flashlights, etc.
• Batteries that can be recharged by flowing current in the direction opposite to that
during discharge are known as secondary batteries.
• The chemical reaction process during cell charge operation when electrical energy is
converted into chemical energy is the reverse of that during discharge.
• The batteries needed and used for electric and hybrid vehicles are all secondary batteries,
since they all are recharged either during that mode of vehicle operation or during the
recharging cycle in the stopped condition using a charger.
Specific Energy of Batteries
Batteries continued….
• EVs and HEVs require high specific energy (Wh/kg) than that of charge
sustaining.
• Which resulted in the universal adoption of Li-ion battery technology ever
since the start of mass marketing of such vehicles from around 2010.
• The early mass marketed electric vehicles had a range of about 100 miles
or less.
• Among those early entries, the first-generation Nissan Leaf with a Li-ion
battery-pack of 25 kWh had an EPA range of 73 miles.
• The Chevrolet Bolt launched in 2017 has an EPA range of 238 miles with a
60 kWh Li-ion battery-pack.
• Vehicles with range in excess of 300 miles are considered luxury brands
and require battery-packs around 100 kWh.
Desirable features of batteries
vhigh specific power
vhigh specific energy
vHigh charge acceptance rate for recharging and regenerative braking, and
v long calendar life cycle.
ØAdditional technical issues include
vmethods and designs to balance the battery segments or packs electrically and
thermally
vAccurate techniques to determine a battery’s state of charge, and
v recycling facilities of battery components, And
vabove all, the cost of batteries must be reasonable for EVs and HEVs to be
commercially viable.
Overview of Batteries in EV
• The lead acid type of battery has the longest development history of all battery
technology particularly for their need and heavy use in the industrial electric vehicles,
such as golf cars in sports, passenger cars in airports, fork lifts in storage facilities and
super markets.
• The power and energy densities of lead acid battery are lower compared to several other
battery technologies.
• The research and development for alternative batteries picked up momentum following
the resurgence of interest in electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in the late 1960s and
early 1970s.
• The sodium-sulfur batteries showed great promise in the 1980s with high energy and
power densities, but safety and manufacturing difficulties led to the abandoning of the
technology.
• The development of battery technology for low-power applications, such as cell phones
and calculators opened the possibilities of scaling the energy and power of nickel-
cadmium and lithium-ion type batteries for electric and hybrid vehicle applications.
Overview of Batteries in EV continue…
ØThe major types of rechargeable batteries used or being considered
for electric and hybrid vehicle applications are as follows:
• Lead Acid
• Nickel-cadmium
• Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH)
• Aluminum Air
• Zinc Air
• Sodium-sulfur.
• Sodium-nickel chloride
• Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
• Lithium-polymer (Li-poly)
Properties of Electric and Hybrid Electric
Vehicles Batteries