A comparative study of equivalent circuit models for a Li-ion battery pack of an electric Tuk-Tuk

Abstract

This paper presents developments and validations of Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) battery cell and battery pack models. A 7.4 kWh NMC battery pack is installed on an electric Tuk-Tuk equipped with a 3 kW motor. The battery pack is configured of four cells connected in parallel and 20 sets of the four cells connected in series. Based on the first-order and the second-order equivalent circuit models, battery cell and battery pack models are developed in Matlab/Simulink environment. For parameter identifications of the cell model, pulse discharge tests are performed at room temperature with 10% State of Charge (SOC) interval. The lumped heat capacitance method is applied to the battery models. The battery cell model is validated with SOC, cell center temperatures and terminal voltage using the experimental data of constant current discharge tests. With the battery pack configuration, the battery cell model is scaled up to match the battery pack voltage and its capacity. The dynamics of the battery pack models are validated with the vehicle testing data using the no-load, wide-open throttle and real road tests. The simulation results show good agreement with the test data. Using the developed battery models, vehicle performance and its energy consumption can be improved by optimizing battery cell and pack configurations.