Abstract

A virtual testbed simulation framework is created for the economical and reliability analysis of battery thermal management control strategies in electric vehicles (EVs). The economic benefit of extending battery lifetime by optimal thermal conditioning is weighed against the corresponding energy cost of the operation, allowing for the adoption of economy-conscious strategies under different conditions. The system-level model is created in the MATLAB environment using the Simscape library and custom components as required. A lumped-parameter coupled electro-thermal model with temperature and state of charge dependent cell parameters is adapted from the literature to characterize battery performance. Suitable cell capacity degradation models are implemented to capture the cycle aging and calendar aging of the battery. Active cooling of the battery using a refrigerant system along with a preconditioning strategy is benchmarked against passive cooling by a radiator for operating cost, battery lifetime, and net savings. Active cooling can maintain optimal battery temperature but requires an additional 90–200 $/year in electrical costs compared to passive cooling. However, this cost is more than compensated for by the increase in battery lifetime by 1.5–3.2 years leading to a net savings of 325–1100 $/year.

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