Design approach for electric vehicle battery packs based on experimentally tested multi-domain models

This work proposes a multi-domain modelling methodology to support the design of new battery packs for automotive applications. The methodology allows electro-thermal evaluation of different spatial arrangements of the storage cells by exploiting the implementation of numerical and geometrical battery pack models. Concerning the case study on Li-NMC battery technology, the study has completed the electro-thermal characterization of the storage cells starting from the collected experimental data, considering both the thermal interactions among cells and the effects of the state of health. This work also investigates the effects of forced air-cooling systems focusing on battery pack hot spots and temperature distributions. The results show a good fit between numerical models and data obtained from single-cell experiments. The virtual linking of geometric and numerical lumped-parameter models proved to be effective in rapid battery pack prototyping for electric vehicles, helping designers and manufacturers find suitable solutions for specific automotive applications.