Strategic Attitude to Battery Selection for Electrical Vehicle

A growing number of fully electric vehicles will be introduced into the global market in the coming years offering a high potential for long-term reduction of CO2-emissions and the greening of road transport. This article investigates strategic attitude to battery selection for electrical vehicle. The use of Ni-MH battery systems in electric vehicles largely depends on the improvement of the specific energy and a significant cost reduction, with only a very limited potential for optimization on both criteria. The lithium technology provides the best characteristics for usage in battery electric vehicles. They will play the leading role within the next decade. Which material combinations will succeed in the market is currently still just as unclear as the preferred cell shape. Compared to the Li-ion battery, the cost is higher and the cycle span is shorter. The energy and power content are about the same, with slight advantages for the Li-polymer battery. Besides these aspects, the advantages and disadvantages of the flat cell design have to be considered. Due to the research activities on lithium batteries, improvements can be expected in both types. The increase of specific energy values up to 1500 (W h/kg), which could allow a vehicle range of up to 500 km, are apparently, even with Li-ion batteries, not to be expected before 2020.

Keywords:

Li-ion battery , Li-polymer , Electrical Vehicle