Project 1 Mechanical design of battery pack
The high voltage battery is one of the most important components of a battery electric vehicle (BEV). The battery parameters have a significant influence on other components and attributes of the vehicle, like:
- maximum traction motor torque
- maximum regeneration brake torque
- vehicle range
- vehicle total weight
- vehicle price
Pretty much all major aspects of a pure electric vehicle (EV) depend on the parameters of the high voltage battery.
For our electric vehicle battery design we are going to start from 4 core input parameters:
- chemistry
- voltage
- average energy consumption of the vehicle on a driving cycle
- vehicle range
A battery consists of one or more electrochemical cells (battery cells) which are converting chemical energy into electrical energy (during discharging) and electrical energy into chemical energy (during charging). The type of elements contained within a battery and the chemical reactions during discharging-charging events define the chemistry of a battery.
A battery cell consists of five major components: electrodes – anode and cathode, separators, terminals, electrolytes, and a case or enclosure. For automotive applications, there are different types of cells used Individual battery cells are grouped into a single mechanical and electrical unit called a battery module. The modules are electrically connected to form a battery pack.