Tomorrow’s Mobility

Sustainable Technologies for the automotive sector

Week 2 – Session 9 – Battery Pack Design

Guillermo Ballesteros

Introduction

I- Battery voltage and capacity

II- Battery power
III- Battery efficiency

Conclusion

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Introduction
This lesson focuses on battery packs, especially the main parameters to design them.

I- Battery voltage and capacity

The optimization of the electric system drive takes into account the needs of the power electronics,
the electric machine, and the battery pack.

If the voltage used is high, the current flowing through the inverter is low and the active
components, like transistors and diodes, are smaller. This contributes to reduce the size of the
semiconductor switches. It also reduces the power dissipated by the power electronic converter.
Correspondingly, the losses in the electric machine are reduced when the current is low.
With small components, the price of the power electronic converter is reduced. The integration is
also easier. At the same time, an increase in the voltage requires more modules and cells, to be
connected in series. Consequently, the number of connections increases and the battery
management system is more complex. Thus, the cost of the battery pack is increased.
Battery Pack Design

High voltage

Current flowing through the inverter is low

Small diodes
and transistors

Size Higher Lower

reduction efficiency cost

More complex battery Higher cost

management system

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For the electric machine, as we have seen, voltage has no effect on the size, the price or the
performance. Therefore, the choice of the voltage is a trade-off, between the price of the power
electronic converter, and the price of the battery pack, as it is between the performance of the
power electronic converter and the complexity of the battery pack.
Battery Pack Power

Price of the Power Performance of the

Price of the Complexity of the
Electronics power electronic
Battery Pack battery pack
Converter converter

The capacity is the amount of energy contained inside the battery. It is proportional to the range or
autonomy of the vehicle.
Capacity is proportional to Range

Today, electric vehicles consume between 100 and 200 Wh per km. This energy is affected by the
battery mass, and by the mass of the vehicle itself. The heavier the battery, the lower the efficiency
of the system. One can consider that around 40% of the energy is used to move the battery, due to
its high weight. Efficiency is also reduced by losses, due to the electric current circulating through
the battery pack, because of its internal resistance.

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 Capacity and Range

Autonomy New European Driving Cycle (km)

On-board energy battery (kWh)

Depending on the specifications, it is possible to calculate the required battery pack capacity, taking
into account the weight, including its effect on the efficiency, and the range of the vehicle. To reach
high capacity, cells must be connected in parallel. The total capacity of the battery pack will be
equal to the sum of the capacities of the cells connected in parallel together.

II- Battery power

Power is necessary for accelerations, or climbing up-hills, for transport of passengers, and
merchandise. For the same acceleration need, the power need increases with the transported
weight and the slope of the road.
Battery Pack Power
Power

is necessary for:

Climbing a
Accelerations mountain or
pulling
caravans

The power need can be calculated with a simplified formula, taking into account these parameters:
 Vehicle weight with passengers, luggage and goods
 Acceleration need (in tow, on the road and on the high way)
 Front surface of the vehicle
 Cx: penetration coefficient

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  Ro : air density
With these parameters, it is possible to roughly calculate the power needed. It is quite obvious that,
for battery electric vehicles, the battery capacity, is a key element of the design of the electric drive.
The power need is largely satisfied, because the battery usually has high capacity.

III- Battery efficiency

One last thing: Li-ion technology is extremely sensitive to the temperature. The efficiency of this
technology is usually around 90%. If the temperature increases over 40°C, not only the efficiency is
reduced, but also the reliability and the performance are impacted.

Battery Pack Efficiency

<40°C
Conclusion
The key points of this lesson are:
 It is important to reduce the current value flowing through the inverter, so the size of the
drive train is reduced. For this, high voltage batteries are recommended.
 However, when the battery voltage is high, the cost and the weight are increased.
Additionally, the number of connections increases and the battery management system is
more complex.
 The battery capacity is the KEY element in the Electric drive train design.
 Finally, a particular attention must be paid to the thermal management. Indeed, safety and
reliability depend on the temperature. For Li-ion batteries, the temperature must be kept
under 40°C.

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