Battery-operated Electric Vehicles Research Articles

Electric Vehicles for Smart Village

Today transport accounts for about 60 % of total world oil consumption. This global problem of Energy for propulsion motivates the automotive industry to turn to the electric drive. All major automobile manufacturers attentions are shifted to electrically propelled battery-operated electric vehicles (BEV). Improve the existing power system efficiency, alternate fuels, new materials or alternate power systems like electric vehicles. EV is a road vehicle based on modern electric propulsion consisting of electric machines, power electronic converters, electric energy sources and storage devices, and electronic controllers; EV is a broad concept, including BEV, HEV, FCEV, etc

Battery-Operated Electric Vehicles (BOEVs) Adoption in India: Analysis of Barriers and Strategies

With the rise in the global environmental issues, there is need of transformation of internal combustion engines into electric ones in the transportation industry. Therefore, this article aims to identify and categorize the barriers in adoption of battery-operated electric vehicles (BOEVs) in context to India. The article is conducted into three phases. In the first phase, key barriers are recognized through systematic literature review and validated by the experts. The second phase deals with interpretive structural modeling to develop structural relationships among the barriers. In the third phase, MICMAC analysis is used to categorize the barriers. It is followed by the strategies prioritization using best-worst method. The findings of this article show that government policies, low R&D, lesser incentives, and lack of awareness are the most influential BOEVs adoption barriers, and thus need to be addressed by the policy makers. Developing convenient, affordable publicly accessible chargers, and government interventions incentivizing end customer are the major strategies to overcome the crucial barriers for faster adoption of BOEVs. Insights derived from this article will be helpful for policy makers, manufacturers, and government officials to formulate effective guidelines for the faster adoption of BOEVs in developing countries. Insights derived from this article will be helpful for policy makers, manufacturers, and government officials to formulate effective guidelines for the faster adoption of BOEVs by people not only in India but also in other developing countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. Though this article conducted only in India but Pakistan and Bangladesh are also similar in many aspects, so this article can be applicable to these countries.

Collaborative evaluation of SoC, SoP and SoH of lithium-ion battery in an electric bus through improved remora optimization algorithm and dual adaptive Kalman filtering algorithm

Many countries are switched to electric vehicles (EVs) for public transportation, which increases the adoption of electric buses. Batteries are the key component in battery-operated electric vehicles and must be monitored for the system to operate efficiently. This work has proposed a joint estimation method to examine the battery states. The lithium-ion battery (LiB) is initially designed through a first-order RC equivalent (FO-RC) circuit. To optimize the modelling parameters of a battery, an improved remora optimization algorithm (IROA) is proposed in this work. After detecting the optimum values for the parameters, the SoC is evaluated by a dual adaptive Kalman filtering algorithm (DAKF). Then the SoH is estimated based on the predicted SoC of a battery, whereas the SoP is evaluated by considering current and voltage constraints during battery operation. After that, the battery's remaining useful life (RUL) is examined based on the estimated SoC. The proposed work is implemented on the MATLAB platform, and the results will be validated under varying operating conditions. The comparative analysis shows that the IROA provides optimum parameters near the actual parameters' actual values, thereby improving the prediction accuracy of battery states.

Transition to Electric Mobility in India: Barriers Exploration and Pathways to Powertrain Shift through MCDM Approach

The ever-increasing environmental concern necessitates the implementation of electric vehicles (EVs) in the public fleet in a larger proportion. While developed countries have accomplished this objective through unique ways, developing and underdeveloped countries are still lagging. Deficiencies in technological readiness and supportive infrastructure are major concerns for them. To support their future endeavours in the field of electric vehicles, a review article that encompasses the present status, barriers for EVs adoption and operation in developing countries proves highly critical. A critical analysis of EV adoption barrier information is used to develop appropriate technology to tackle these barriers and provide necessary plans for policymakers to effectively implement electric vehicles. Furthermore, this article comprehensively analyses barriers to EV implementation and adopts the multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model to rank the evaluation criteria based on expert opinions. From the results for developing countries such as India, the model placed battery-operated electric vehicles at 5th position on the hierarchy ranking. This is because the existing infrastructure and technology will not currently support the imminent shift to electric mobility. The identification of a possible alternative propulsion system that bridges the gap between necessity and feasibility is essential. For this purpose, the article also explores the prospects and critically analyses hybrid electric vehicles as an intermediary propulsion system that smoothens the transition to EV. The outcomes of the literature review, expert opinions and author findings suggest that hybrid technology uses powertrain components that are chiefly similar to those found in conventional vehicles, yielding vehicle manufacturers with a smoother changeover to Electric Vehicle technology, which may otherwise lead to an immense failure in technology transition.

A single source based multilevel boost inverter with reduced peak standing voltage for renewable energy and EV applications

This paper introduces a nine-level (9L) boost inverter topology with reduced peak standing voltage (PSV) across the switches. The topology consists of a single DC source, two capacitors, a switched-capacitor (SC) and a floating capacitor (FC), and eleven power electronics switches. Due to the inherent voltage boosting capability, the proposed inverter is suitable for low-scale voltage applications such as photovoltaic (PV), fuel cell, and single battery-operated electric vehicles (EVs). A sensorless approach is introduced to stabilize the requisite voltage across the FC for any changes in input voltage. A generalized topology is also presented to obtain n-times voltage gain along with a high number of intermediate voltage levels. The PSV of the switches does not exceed the value of the input DC voltage, irrespective of increase in voltage gain. The results show that the voltage across the FC is unaffected by stepped variations in the modulation indices, power factor of load, pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques, and the operating frequency. Furthermore, when the input voltage changes, the voltage across the FC is automatically adjusted to a new requisite value within 0.6s. The topology works for a wide range of modulation indices (0–1) and loads. A thorough analysis is done to show that the proposed topology is superior to recent topologies.

Analyzing challenges for sustainable supply chain of electric vehicle batteries using a hybrid approach of Delphi and Best-Worst Method

Due to global warming and fast depletion of fossil fuels, the option of battery-operated electric vehicles (EVs) has emerged as one of the most popular alternatives for sustainable transport. In the present study, India is considered as a case country to explore the challenges in sustainable supply chain of electric vehicle batteries. India, being the second most populated country after China and having limited reserves of fossil fuels, has great potential to excel in electric vehicle supply chains. In addition, growth of electric vehicle markets in India is in the emerging phase. With increasing demand for EVs, the industry is facing many challenges for sustainable supply chain of electric vehicle batteries. The lithium-ion battery is a major component of electric vehicles. Many challenges for sustainability of electric vehicle battery supply chains have been extracted through literature review and discussions with industry experts. These challenges may be categorized as operational, technological, economic, environmental and social. Delphi technique is utilized to finalize major challenges for analysis. For further prioritization of these challenges, Best-Worst Method (BWM) is used. Finally, findings of the BWM are validated through an empirical study by collecting responses from 87 respondents. It is observed that ineffective recycling and reuse of batteries, disposal of batteries, and insufficient charging infrastructure are the three most important challenges in EV battery supply chain in India. The findings may be equally relevant in many developing countries having similar technological and infrastructure constraints. It will help policymakers in developing strategies for sustainable transport systems in developing countries.

Exploring the factors influencing electric vehicle adoption: an empirical investigation in the emerging economy context of India

Purpose The Indian automotive industry was witnessing a transition from conventional vehicles to greener battery-operated electric vehicles (EVs). However, the acceptance of these EVs was still muted and brought significant challenges for the industry. Literature regarding the adoption of EVs was scarce in the Indian context. It was thus imperative to explore and comprehend the distinct perceptions of industry managers and consumers regarding the adoption of EVs in India. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyze the entire Indian EVs ecosystem to address this research gap. Design/methodology/approach The authors carried out an empirical investigation starting with a structured literature review to identify the researchable gaps. Subsequently, the authors conducted semi-structured open-ended interviews with 38 experts including automotive industry experts and EV consumers. The authors further performed a thematic content analysis of the expert interview responses to document critical insights regarding the adoption of EVs. Findings The authors identified 11 key factors influencing the adoption of EVs in this study. The vital considerations regarding the availability of charging technologies, its associated selection dilemma, emerging business models and public policy support were presented and discussed. Market penetration of EVs was found to be influenced mostly by the choice of charging technology. Further, the switching intention of consumers was deliberated upon to highlight the specific technological and psychological preferences of consumers. The accessibility of charging stations emerged as the most influential factor. The research findings indicated that harmony among stakeholders was missing in the Indian EVs ecosystem. Instead, there were discrete efforts by organizations. The EVs ecosystem required collaboration for improved adoption of the EVs. Further, the necessity to rectify the chaotic charging infrastructure in the country was highlighted as a major pain point for customers to adopt EV. Research limitations/implications This study theoretically contributed to push–pull–mooring (PPM) framework for understanding the adoption of EVs in India. This enabled the authors to extensively analyze consumers’ psychological and technological considerations regarding their switching intention toward EVs. Practical implications The findings of this study would help managers in decision-making toward the establishment of charging infrastructure involving multiple considerations such as the accessibility of charging, multi-dimensional competence at charging stations and servicing capabilities. Managers could also use the insights from this study to secure supportive recommendations for improving the overall EV infrastructure. The results of this study would benefit policymakers to set strategic directions through an integrated view of the entire EVs ecosystem involving management of bus and taxi fleets, two-wheelers and three-wheelers and such others. Originality/value Generally, in extant research, either firm managers’ or customers’ perspectives are considered separately. This study deliberated upon the PPM framework and switching intention accommodating both the industry and consumers’ perspectives. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was, thus, one of the first research articles which integrated insights from both the industry and consumers. This established the PPM framework for understanding the adoption of EVs. Further, it helped in comprehending the specific technological and psychological preferences of consumers regarding switching intention toward EVs.

A cost effective accumulator management system for electric vehicles

Abstract An accumulator or battery is an energy storage cramped in an adaptable stockade. Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and battery operated electric vehicles (BOEV) due to its eco-friendliness and increased efficiency. To maintain lithium batteries in the safe operating region and also to perform tasks like cell balancing, preventing thermal runaway, maintain the state of health, an effective battery management system (BMS) is required. The BMS should also communicate effectively between host devices and battery packs. This paper proposes a reliable, modular and cost-efficient BMS, which will emanate an alert when a fault occurs and thus preventing the battery from damage. An efficient control strategy has been proposed for charging and discharging of the battery pack. The thermal analysis of the lithium-ion battery used in this work is simulated using battery design studio (BDS) with the inclusion of a self-discharging effect. The proposed hardware setup also provides a provision for on-board diagnosis (OBD) and logging in the accumulator management system (AMS) to constantly monitor the cell parameters like voltage, current, and temperature. The live data display of AMS working is also shown during abnormal and normal conditions. Also, an attempt is made to use the design of proposed AMS for HEV.

Design, Simulation and Performance Analysis of a Battery Electric Vehicle Model

Electric vehicles (EVs), in today’s scenario have become a replacement of conventional mode of transportation as they have shown an ability to minimize the carbon and sulfur emitting fuel operating vehicles. In this study, the components of the battery operated EV (BEV) systems are discussed and a model of BEV on the MATLAB-Simulink platform is simulated. Moreover, the relevant electrical system components as well as its corresponding equations for verification are identified. Furthermore, all simulation results were considered. Thus this study presents a foundation for higher researches in the field of EVs.

Scheduling electric vehicles making milk-runs for just-in-time delivery

Battery-operated electric vehicles are frequently used in in-plant logistics systems to feed parts from a central depot to workcells on the shop floor. These vehicles, often called tow trains, make many milk-run trips during a typical day, with the delivery timetable depending on the production schedule. To operate such a milk-run delivery system efficiently, not only do the timetabled trips need to be assigned to vehicles, it is also important to take the limited battery capacity into consideration. Moreover, since most tow trains in use today are still operated by human drivers, fairness aspects with respect to the division of the workload also need to be considered. In this context, we tackle the following problem we encountered at a large manufacturer of engines for trucks and busses in Germany. Given a fixed schedule of milk-runs (round trips) to be performed during a planning horizon, and a fleet of homogeneous electric vehicles stationed at a depot, which vehicle should set out on which milk-run and when should recharging breaks be scheduled, such that all runs can be completed with the minimum number of vehicles and all vehicles are about equally busy? We investigate the computational complexity of this problem and develop suitable heuristics, which are shown to solve instances of realistic size to near-optimality in a matter of a few minutes. We also offer some insight into how battery technology influences vehicle utilization.

Cooling Performance Characteristics of 20 Ah Lithium-Ion Pouch Cell with Cold Plates along Both Surfaces

Temperature control of the lithium-ion pouch cells is crucial for smooth operation, longevity and enhanced safety in the battery-operated electric vehicles. Investigating the thermal behavior of lithium-ion pouch cells and optimizing the cooling performance are required to accomplish better performance, long life, and enhanced safety. In the present study, the cooling performance characteristics of 20 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell with cold plates along both surfaces are investigated by varying the inlet coolant mass flow rates and the inlet coolant temperatures. The inlet coolant mass flow rate is varied from 0.000833 kg/s to 0.003333 kg/s, and the inlet coolant temperature is varied from 5 °C to 35 °C. In addition, the effects of the cold plate geometry parameter on cooling performance of 20 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell are studied by varying the number of the channels from 4 to 10. The maximum temperature and difference between the maximum and the minimum temperatures are considered as important criteria for cooling performance evaluation of the 20 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell with cold plates along both surfaces. The cooling energy efficiency parameter (β) and the pressure drop for 20 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell with cold plates along both surfaces are also reported. The study shows that enhanced cooling energy efficiency is accompanied with low inlet coolant temperature, low inlet coolant mass flow rate, and a high number of the cooling channels. As a result, the temperature distribution, the pressure drop, and the cooling energy efficiency parameter (β) of the 20 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell with cold plates along both surfaces are provided, and could be applied for optimizing the cooling performances of the thermal management system for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles.

The Impact of Subsidies and Charging Facilities on Demand for Electric Vehicles in China

The Chinese government has announced a trial programme to provide for private purchase of new battery-operated electric vehicles (EVs) and for plug-in hybrids in five cities. We investigate the potential impact of these subsidies and charging facilities on demand for EVs, using data from a survey of potential car buyers in China. Building on the understanding of factors and incentives that would likely encourage households to adopt EVs would help to improve policy interventions. Data collection is based on experimental design and stated choice methods through an Internet survey. Choice alternatives include a conventional gasoline, a plug-in hybrid and a pure electrical vehicle. In addition to subsidy and charging facilities, we also investigate the impact of common vehicle attributes such as purchase price, cruising range, refuelling time and the socio-demographic effect. Applying a multinomial logit (MNL) model, we find that subsidies would significantly encourage households to choose a plug-in hybrid or an EV. Compared to pure EVs, people in China are more willing to accept plug-in hybrids at present. Compared to the price factors, charging facilities are less of a concern when households consider the adoption of an EV. Willingness-to-pay and market share simulation are computed based on the estimated parameters for further analysis.

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell system diagnosis based on the signed directed graph method

The fuel-cell powered bus is becoming the favored choice for electric vehicles because of its extended driving range, zero emissions, and high energy conversion efficiency when compared with battery-operated electric vehicles. In China, a demonstration program for the fuel cell bus fleet operated at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Shanghai Expo in 2010. It is necessary to develop comprehensive proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) diagnostic tools to increase the reliability of these systems. It is especially critical for fuel-cell city buses serving large numbers of passengers using public transportation. This paper presents a diagnostic analysis and implementation study based on the signed directed graph (SDG) method for the fuel-cell system. This diagnostic system was successfully implemented in the fuel-cell bus fleet at the Shanghai Expo in 2010.

Future of the battery-electric car

The use of battery-operated electric vehicles in urban areas may offer a solution to the growing menace of fumes and noise from large concentrations of traffic. The author considers past and present examples of such vehicles and modern development in motor control.