BATTERY PERFORMANCE IN

ELECTRIC CARS
EV batteries are quite different from those used in consumer
electronic devices such as laptops and cell phones.
They are required to handle high power (up to a hundred kW)
and high energy capacity (up to tens of kWh) within a limited
space and weight and at an affordable price.
The desirable features of batteries for vehicle applications are:
- High specific power
- High specific energy
- High charge acceptance rate for recharging and
regenerative braking
- Long cycle life

company

Country

Vehicle model

Battery technology

GM

USA

Chevy-Volt

Li-ion

Saturn Vue Hybrid

NiMH

Escape, Fusion, MKZ HEV

NiMH

Escape PHEV

Li-ion

Ford

USA

Toyota

Japan

Prius, Lexus

NiMH

Honda

Japan

Civic, Insight

NiMH

Hyundai

South Korea Sonata

Lithium polymer

Chrysler

USA

Chrysler 200C EV

Li-ion

BMW

Germany

X6

NiMH

Mini E (2012)

Li-ion

BYD

China

E6

Li-ion

Daimler

Germany

ML450, S400

NiMH

Smart EV (2010)

Li-ion

Benz
Mitsubishi

Japan

iMiEV (2010)

Li-ion

Nissan

Japan

Altima

NiMH

Leaf EV (2010)

Li-ion

Tesla

USA

Roadster (2009)

Li-ion

Think

Norway

Think EV

Li-ion, Sodium/Metal
Chloride

Table: Batteries used in electric vehicles of selected

car manufacturers.

Lithium-Ion Battery

The lithium ion battery makes

use of lithium cobalt oxide
(which has superior cycling
properties at high voltages) as
the positive electrode and a
highly-crystallized specialty
carbon as the negative
electrode. It uses an organic
solvent, as the electrolytic fluid.

Principle of Operation

The principle behind the chemical

reaction in the lithium ion battery is
:
During cell charge,
lithium in the positive
electrode lithium cobalt
oxide material is ionized
during charge, and moves
from layer to layer in the
negative electrode.
During discharge,
Li ions move to the positive
electrode and return to the
original compound.

Li-ion Battery Unit Cell

(Battery Chemistry LiFePO4)

Figure: Unit module of battery (2S2P)

Capacity, Q=86Ah
SOC 10% SOC95%

COOLING SYSTEM
DEVELOPMENT

Why thermal management is

important?
To maintain the temperature across
the entire pack of battery
To prevent rapid cell degradation
To increase battery life
To prevent from catastrophic
destruction (fire and explosion)

Figure 1: EV battery pack cooling flow

paths with temperature distribution on cells

Figure 2: how cooling systems for electric car operates

Figure 3: IIUM Proton Green Mobility Challenge 2012

Proposed Battery Thermal Management System: Two-Phase

Evaporative Cooling
Advantages
Two-phase air-evaporative cooling system has been
developed to prevent the battery spike-up temperature,
keep the variation of battery temperature in the range 3035 C and span the battery life and performance

Mechanism of two-phase evaporative cooling

at evaporator ducts heat generated from the modules will be
absorbed by the evaporating refrigerant (refrigerant changes state:
liquid vapor)
at compressor compress vapor to be high pressurize vapor, and acts
to circulate the refrigerant through the whole system
at condenser unit heat carried by the refrigerant will be dissipated
to surrounding via condensation process, with the aid of ventilation by
a fan
at expansion valve change from high pressure liquid to low pressure
liquid to enter the evaporator duct
The two-phase evaporative cooling system will cool the battery pack
by a direct refrigerant-based evaporative cooling.
The heat generated inside battery modules will be absorbed by the
refrigerant and this heat will then be dissipated to surrounding air.
This application is the utilization of independent evaporator or cooling
duct, condenser and compressor unit specifically for the battery
cooling
System, whereby the evaporator or cooling duct will be connected in
parallel to the main refrigerant circuit.
The refrigerant will be circulated in a closed-loop, where a suction line
will withdraw refrigerant from cooling ducts (evaporator), rise the
pressure to a higher level and discharge it to a condenser to dissipate
heat to the surrounding before it reaches the expansion valve to