Development of an Intelligent Controller for Battery Energy Storage System in Electric Vehicles (EV)

Battery packs in Electric Vehicles (EVs) need highly accurate measurement and controlling equipment for safer operation. However, the cost and lifetime of this equipment must be balanced so that customers can afford EVs. One major challenge in designing a battery pack is the reduced lifetime. As battery packs are placed in EVs in a fixed and closed manner and other than during maintenance the pack is not opened, it becomes difficult to ensure an extended lifetime by manufacturers. In this paper, an intelligent controller for a battery pack with Li-Ion 18650 cells in EV has been developed to increase the lifetime of battery cells. Sensing and Switching Circuits (SSC) as a part of the Battery Management System (BMS) have been redesigned and implemented. The concept of reserve cells in the battery pack has been introduced. An experimental demonstration has been done for the validation of the proposed concept and is discussed in the paper.