Batteries For Electric Vehicle Applications Research Articles

Characterization of PEO‐Based Composite Cathodes. I. Morphological, Thermal, Mechanical, and Electrical Properties

This report describes the fabrication and characterization of polymer‐based composite cathode membranes intended for use in polymer‐electrolyte batteries operating at moderate temperatures (60–100°C). The present work is focused on the determination of morphological, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of PEO‐based composite cathodes. The work was developed within the Advanced Lithium Polymer Electrolyte project (ALPE), an Italian integrated project devoted to the realization of lithium polymer batteries for electric vehicle applications. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.

Enhanced performance of lithium polymer batteries using a V 2O 5–PEG composite cathode

A new concept is proposed to realize solid-state high-performance lithium polymer batteries in which two different polymers are used as ionically conductive matrices in the cathode and in the separator. A solid, low molecular weight poly(ethylene glycol) was used in the cathode while a blend with a higher molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) was used in the separator. The enhanced transport properties in the cathodic compartment allow us to discharge the battery (190 mAh g −1) at a moderate temperature (65°C) in a reasonable time (about 3.3 h). Batteries cycled at 100°C showed enhanced performance with respect to PEO-based batteries. At a power density of about 416 W kg −1, energy density as high as 460 Wh kg −1, based on the weight of the active material, was achieved in about 1 h of discharge. The work was developed within the ALPE (Advanced Lithium Polymer Electric Vehicle Battery) project, an Italian integrated project devoted to the realization of lithium polymer batteries for electric vehicle applications, in collaboration with the Osaka National Research Institute.

00/00265 Study of the softening of the positive active-mass in valve-regulated lead-acid batteries for electric-vehicle applications

00/00265 Study of the softening of the positive active-mass in valve-regulated lead-acid batteries for electric-vehicle applications

Performance of an AB2 alloy in sealed Ni–MH batteries for electric vehicles: quantification of corrosion rate and consequences on the battery performance

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the corrosion rate of a Laves phase alloy, with the C15 crystallographic structure, in 22 Ah sealed Ni–MH batteries for electric vehicle applications. At the end of life, measurements of the capacities of negative and positive electrodes show that the battery capacity is limited by the negative polarity. Negative electrodes exhibit a capacity loss of 60% which is attributed to kinetics problems due to the corrosion layers and to a loss of the active material. A model allowing the determination of the alloy corrosion has been developed by taking into account the solubilities and the oxidation state of the corrosion products and the amount of oxygen in corroded alloy. Although the corrosion rate of the AB 2 alloy is equivalent to what has been observed using AB 5 alloys, its consequences on battery performance are more severe due to the high oxidation state of V and Zr.

Fabrication and evaluation of 100 Ah cylindrical lithium ion battery for electric vehicle applications

A total of 100 Ah class lithium ion cells with C/LiCoO2 cell system for electric vehicles (EVs) was developed. EV-size lithium ion battery was developed by Sony, KERI/STC, SAFT, VARTA, Sanyo and Matsushita. GS battery and Hitachi have developed also stationary type large scale (70–80 Ah) lithium ion batteries. Lithium ion battery module for EVs was demonstrated by Sony/Nissan and KERI/STC in 1996. At present, the performance of developed EV-cells was up to 115 Wh/kg and 286 W/kg of specific power at 80% DOD. We assume our EV cells to have 248 and 242 km driving distance per one charge with DST-120 mode and ECE-15 mode, respectively. Finally, we performed safety/abuse tests of developed lithium ion cell.

Improved composite materials for rechargeable lithium metal polymer batteries

Abstract The performance of several polymer electrolytes for lithium metal batteries for electric vehicle applications are reported. The best performing electrolyte is the composite PEO 20 LiCF 3 SO 3 –γLiAlO 2 , which was prepared by a solvent-free procedure. It showed coulombic efficiency values of the lithium deposition–stripping process of 94%–96%. Electrochemical tests of lithium polymer battery (LPB) prototypes based on a 3 V LiMn 2 O 4 composite cathode material laminated together with the PEO 20 LiCF 3 SO 3 –γLiAlO 2 electrolyte gave promising results for electric vehicle applications. Even under non-optimized battery design, the prototypes delivered, at the C/3 rate and at 94°C, 40%–30% of theoretical capacity over 100 charge–discharge cycles.

A high performance lead–acid battery for EV applications

Some recent work in the development of a high energy density lead–acid battery for electric vehicle application is described. Two separate methods are used to achieve this objective. Significant total cell weight savings can be achieved by the use of an electrolyte management system. This minimises the quantity of water used in the electrolyte. The second feature concerns the form and utilization of the lead–paste active materials. The positive and negative pastes are carried as a slurry and are agitated during the charge/discharge cycle. This maximises the utilisation of the active materials and reduces premature sulphation.

Development of a High Performance Zebra Battery for Electric Vehicle Applications

Development of a High Performance Zebra Battery for Electric Vehicle Applications

Long cycle life Li–Mn–O defective spinel electrodes

A Li–Mn–O defective spinel phase material has been synthesized through repeated grinding and heating (T<400°C) steps from a mixture of LiOH and MnO2. The sample has been characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and elemental and oxidation state analyses. At a C/12 charge/discharge rate, the material showed a first-cycle capacity of almost 200 mAh/g that decreased upon cycling to a stable value of 120 mA h/g after the 20th cycle. At a higher rate (C/3.7), the material showed a long cycle life upon lithium insertion/deinsertion with more than 50% of the initial capacity delivered at the 750th cycle. The work was developed within the ALPE (Advanced Lithium Polymer Electrolyte) battery project, an Italian project devoted to the realization of lithium polymer batteries for electric vehicle applications.

V2O5 xerogel lithium–polymer electrolyte batteries

Abstract In this report are described the fabrication and the characterization of a lithium-metal, polymer electrolyte battery using a V 2 O 5 xerogel cathode. The system operates at moderate temperatures (80–100°C). The electrochemical characterization of separate components as well as of small scale devices is also reported. The work is focused on the determination of important `application' properties of the polymer electrolyte, i.e., the properties of the polymer electrolyte in real systems and true operating conditions. The work was developed within the ALPE (Advanced Lithium Polymer Electrolyte) project, an Italian project devoted to the realization of lithium polymer batteries for electric vehicle applications, in collaboration with the Corrosion Research Center of the University of Minnesota.

Evaluation of Zr ( Ni , Mn ) 2 Laves Phase Alloys as Negative Active Material for Ni‐MH Electric Vehicle Batteries

Laves phase alloys compositions where M = Cr, V, Co, Al, and with hexagonal C14 or cubic C15 structure have been studied in order to select the most suitable alloys as an active material for nickel‐metal hydride (Ni‐MH) batteries. With the selected alloy, feasibility of MH negative electrodes using industrial technology and containing more than 97% of the alloy powder has been demonstrated. 22 Ah Ni‐MH batteries for electric vehicle application have been assembled, and 600 cycles have been achieved at steady C/3 charge and discharge rates and 80% depth of discharge.

Lithium polymer battery development for electric vehicle application

Bolloré Technologies, EDF and CEA/CEREM started in 1993 a program for the development of a lithium polymer battery technology with a first objective: producing reproducible 40 Ah single cells. A cell design was selected and a manufacturing process based on extrusion was built up. 40 Ah single cells were produced by this process and are undergoing tests. The cycleability obtained at 0.4 and 4 Ah is between 300 and 400 cycles, is still in progress, with a specific capacity around 150 mAh/g of cathodic vanadium oxide. Power tests, thermal modelling and specific energy projections based on the same electrochemical performances confirm the interest of the lithium polymer battery for electric vehicle application.

Charging strategies for valve-regulated lead/acid batteries in electric-vehicle applications

There is a widespread feeling that the electric vehicle must play an important role in the future, beginning with special applications in specific areas such as urban transportation and goods delivery, then spreading afterwards (in the medium- to long-term) to more complicated ones, like inter-urban use. From the point of view of the valve-regulated lead/acid battery, some problems remain to be solved before the technology can fulfil its task in any of the foreseen applications. This work concentrates on developing charging strategies to overcome the problem of limited vehicle range (typically 60 to 120 km). To increase the range, a straightforward solution from a practical point of view is to include in normal use as many rapid recharges as possible that are compatible with maintaining performance, especially cycle life. In order to test the influence of such rapid recharges on life, a study has been performed, to determine the influence of final charging voltages, initial current, and final equalization step. Results are encouraging and indicate a positive influence of rapid recharging on life, particularly for high initial currents (1 C to 2 C). Very high cycle lives of the order of 500–600 cycles at more than 80% DOD are obtained in bench tests. From these results, new tests have been started using recharge schedules of 1 h/10 h alternatively. The results confirm the previous ones: lives in the range of 600 cycles are obtained with no deleterious effects. Overcharge factors are low, resulting in extremely low water consumption. Other schedules including a higher number of rapid charges for each normal charge have also been considered.

Phosphoric acid as an electrolyte additive for lead/acid batteries in electric-vehicle applications

The influence of the addition of phosphoric acid to the electrolyte on the performance of gelled lead/acid electric-vehiicle batteries is investigated. This additive reduces the reversible capacity decay of the positive electrode significantly which is observed upon extended cycling when recharge of the battery is performed at low initial rate. This is important when low-rate on-board chargers are used. Pulsed discharge, typical for electric-vehicle application, induces reversible capacity decay more than constant-current discharge at a same depth-of-discharge, as well with as without the addition of phosphoric acid. By contrast, hindrance in presence of H 3PO 4 for both the recharge and the discharge reaction helps to homogenize the state of many individual cells during cycling in long battery strings. Reversible capacity loss, which occurs after extended cycling and when pulsed discharge is applied, can be recovered by a single discharge at very low rate with batteries with and without the addition of phosphoric acid. The discharge-rate dependency of the capacity is significantly reduced when phosphoric acid is added. The pulse discharge behaviour may be better, even if the nominal capacity is reduced. The experimental findings of the influence of phosphoric acid addition is discussed in terms of the aggregate-of-spheres model of reversible capacity decay.

Review of the zebra battery system development

The Zebra battery system for electric vehicle applications has been under development for more than ten years. This paper will review the status of the system development and will focus on the following aspects: A review of the basic electrochemistry of the sodium-nickel chloride electrochemical cell will be presented. In particular, the research and development work on the synthesis and manufacture of pure phase β″-alumina materials will be discussed. In conclusion, the integration of the electrochemical cells into a traction battery for electric vehicle applications will be described.

Collaboration in research—the ALABC:Brite-EuRam lead/acid electric-vehicle battery project

As part of its programme, the Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) has a US $4.4 million project with European Community funding (under the Brite-EuRam programme). This has been initiated by the European members of the ALABC. The background and structure of the four-year project are described, together with some of the research results that have been obtained during the first two years of the work. While many of the individual tasks contain battery test programmes to evaluate research results, the ultimate aim of the project is to bring together the various developments into prototype advanced lead/acid batteries for electric-vehicle applications. These will be bench-tested by Eucar, the joint research body of the European motor industry.

Expectation of Super Batteries for Electric Vehicle Application.

Expectation of Super Batteries for Electric Vehicle Application.

Heat Transfer Phenomena in Lithium/Polymer‐Electrolyte Batteries for Electric Vehicle Application

Mathematical modeling of heat generation and transport in lithium/polymer‐electrolyte batteries for electric vehicle applications has been conducted. The results demonstrate that thermal management may not be a serious problem for batteries under low discharge rates. However, under high discharge rates, the temperature of a battery may increase remarkably if the thickness of a cell stack exceeds a certain value. Also, due to the low thermal conductivity of the polymer, the improvement of cooling conditions is not an effective means of improving heat removal for large‐stack systems. For a required operational temperature range and a given discharge rate, model predictions can be used to design appropriate battery structures and to choose a suitable cooling scheme.

A model for simulating fast charging of lead/acid batteries

Among the various points which are discussed for the selection of batteries for electric vehicle applications, the possibility of fast charging is one of the most relevant. This is particularly true for the lead/acid battery which, at the present state of technology, must be charged at low rates to avoid serious shortening of its life. However, this type of battery can be successfully employed in electric vehicles for many advantageous features. The problems concerning some drawbacks of the lead/acid systems must be solved in order to improve its overall performance. In this paper we approached the problem of increasing the charging rate of the lead/acid battery by simulating, with a mathematical model, the discharge/charge conditions. Our aim was to derive useful information which could be applied to develop new technologies of fabrication. The simulations of the discharge/charge processes were carried out by studying the effect of different parameters such as plate dimensions, amount of acid, porosity of active masses and modality of charging. The results indicate that a significant increase of the charging rate can be obtained both by increasing the active mass porosity and by adopting adequate charging modalities.

An overview of the development of lead/acid traction batteries for electric vehicles in India

Electric vehicles (EVs) made an entry into the Indian scene quite recently in the area of passenger transportation, milk floats and other similar applications. The industrial EV market, with various models of fork-lift trucks and platform trucks already in wide use all over India, is a better understood application of EV batteries. The lead/acid traction batteries available in India are not of high-energy density. The best available indigenous lead/acid traction battery has an energy density ( C/5 rate) of 30 W h kg −1 as against 39 W h kg −1 available abroad. This paper reviews the developmental efforts relating to lead/acid traction batteries for electric vehicle applications in India, such as prototype road vehicles, commercial vehicles, rail cars, and locomotives. Due to the need for environmental protection and recognition of exhaustible, finite supplies of petroleum fuel, the Indian government is presently taking active interest in EV projects.