Executive Summary : | Objective: The primary objectives of the proposed research work are:
i. Gain fundamental understanding of technical barriers to fast charging of a LIB.
ii. Understand the performance of LIB during DC fast charging in Indian conditions.
iii. Understand the effect of cell design and thermal management on fast charging strategy.
iv. State of Charge (SOC) and State of Health (SOH) prediction during fast charging.
v. Development of optimal charging strategy for fast charging Summary: India plans to achieve complete vehicle electrification by 2030. Some of the main reasons for slow adoption of electric vehicle are the range anxiety and time taken to recharge the battery. Reducing the recharging or refueling time at the charging stations and ultimately bringing it on par with petrol/diesel refueling time, will make EVs more attractive to consumers. For this to happen, battery in the electric vehicle has to accept charge at a rapid pace. Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are gradually replacing other contemporary battery chemistries for vehicular application. Fast charging a LIB will require the battery to be subjected to a high current. This can lead to many issues like thermal runaway, material degradation and lithium plating. In the proposed research work, effect of fast charging on the battery’s performance and life will be studied. An optimal charging strategy will be suggested to decrease the charging time without compromising safety or the life of the battery. Systems Engineering Approach will be employed to address the research problem. The proposed research work will consider LIB for an electric 2-Wheeler (E2W) as the case study. Usage patterns of vehicles, speed limits and environmental conditions that are specific to India will be properly taken into account in research to get affordable and right sized battery to enable fast charging. A combined mathematical modeling with systematic data gathering and experimentation approach will be used to gain insights into different modes of failure arising due to fast charging of battery. Insights gained from this work will help with better material selection and electrode designs for safer fast charging. Based on the insights gained on effect of different charging modes, optimal battery pack design and charging strategy will be suggested. |