Design of an Interchangeable Battery pack system for Electric vehicles

 Design of an Interchangeable Battery pack system for Electric vehicles

Introduction & Background

Before we open the discussion of our topic, we must understand the very topic that will help us explore further. the topic on hand envisages two important terms mainly the interchangeable battery pack systems and electric cars. The interchangeable batteries are the one that could be removed and changed just like the flashlights of a car. These interchangeable batteries have lent the dimensions of modularity in our design structures that not only make the manufacturing cost of the product go lower than usual but also increase the sustainability of the product. Electric cars, on the other hand, are one of the most important inventions of mankind. These are vehicles than run completely or partially on electricity and hence save fuel. This means that these are economically viable products that lessen the production of greenhouse gasses along with harmful carbon compounds and save fuel which is a non-renewable energy source. There are many types of electric cars available in the market, but over here we are concerned with battery-electric cars. Battery electric cars use only electricity as their fuel and no other type of fuel. These are the greenest cars available in the market. The fact that they are operated by the help of batteries gives rise to other concerns which include issues such as recharging of the battery. Hence, any such car should be purchased after analysis what exactly is the intended purpose of the car and how much is it going to be used. With the advancement in technology and the creation of interchangeable batteries, the use of these cars has become more widespread. The option available in the form of changing your used battery with the one that is fully charged is considered as the biggest convenience so far. In the case of electric vehicles, this aspect of modularity has been the greatest invention of all time. the ease of facility that is provided by the interchangeable batteries in case of electric vehicles is something that adds to the overall level of robustness of the product. But with benefits come in the harmful impacts of these things. Although the idea of changing your car batteries at any place in any time may be something of convenience these interchangeable batteries can also impact the robustness of the design when coming from different sources. These different sources add in different types of variabilities to the design and affect its overall functioning. However, despite all these concerns, the importance of these interchangeable batteries can never be neglected as it has made the life of a lot of people easier.

The induction of the product is no doubt a challenge. It is going to be difficult to make people understand the usability of our batteries and then the importance of these batteries. However, the use of electric vehicles by people has made our job a lot easier. People who are already using electric vehicles understand the necessity and the importance of the interchangeable batteries that we are offering, and we expect them to adopt them as soon as possible. This paper, however, discusses the design of these interchangeable batteries which will make understanding of the working of the batteries even simple. The paper continuously emphasizes that during the whole process of designing we have always kept the idea of the safety of our users in our minds. After reading it people would be better able to understand the use and purpose of the batteries and they will also be able to gauge the durability of the product

Aims & Objectives

The aims and objectives of this very paper envisage a complete and clear understanding of what an interchangeable battery is and how is it used in electric vehicles. A basic design for the interchangeable batteries so that the electric vehicles could function well. To do so we are going to explore step by step the creation process of such batteries with mentioning of all the materials that are required during the process. To make understanding of things easier over here we will try to discuss the design of a prototype of such a battery that is specifically designed for electric cars. One important aspect that the design must envisage is the inculcation of high-energy efficiency into the design. This high energy efficiency is produced by the chain of reactions that will take place inside the battery. The other important thing that must be present in the design is the production of a high voltage. The greater the voltage product the more robust our design will be. Finally, the recharging o the battery. The recharging of the battery is the most important aspect that impacts the usability of the battery. All this means that after the usage the battery must be easy and convenient to charge. It should be recharged in the minimum time possible so that it could be reused again.

The design must also incorporate aspects of safety into it. Which means that the reactions taking place inside the battery that are responsible for the production of voltage should not cause the swelling of the battery as the swelling could lead to a huge explosion. The safety of the passenger must be given the utmost importance while designing the battery. Along with all this, the design should be durable. This means that it must have a long usage life and must be able to satisfy the buyer. In this regard, we can say that the heat that is produced inside the battery during all the reactions that are taking place inside the battery, should be dissipated evenly throughout the battery. This even dispersion of thermal energy can reduce the risk of premature failure of the battery.

After having a clear view of what are the aims and objectives of the very design that we aspire to achieve we must now delve into the technicalities of the subject. presented below is a step by step explanation of the methodology adopted to achieve the desired design of the interchangeable batteries for our electric cars. One thing that’s noteworthy here is that one design may not be able to give the desired results in every electric car however, we do aim to design a battery that could be used in as many different designs of electric cars as possible. The design suggested is the most practicable of all the designs that have been presented up till now and fulfil all the benchmarks that have been mentioned in our aims and objectives.

Discussion & Methodology

After having a vague idea of what do we expect from the design of our interchangeable battery for an electric car, we must now delve into the mechanics of obtaining the design. First, we will start with the numerical design that explains how the numeric would work for our design.  The very first thing that comes into our mind when we think about any battery is the endplates of the battery. Our interchangeable batteries, in the same way, are destiny bound to have endplates that will help in their proper functioning. In our design, we intend to design corrugated endplates for our batteries. These corrugated endplates provide maximum strength of bending to the battery when the swelling takes place. Their strength, however, does not indicate that their weight must be high. These corrugated plates are designed in a way that lends them maximum strength with minimum weight. This also lowers the manufacturing cost of the battery overall. Moving on to the barriers of the battery. It is important to know the function of the barrier to understanding its design. A barrier is present between the battery and its main purpose is to pass some cool air to bring down the temperature of the battery. It makes room for the air to pass through. In our design, we intend to make use of channel type barriers that will serve the purpose best for us. The most critical aspect of our design is making a flow channel. The purpose of this flow channel is to reduce the conversion of electrical energy into thermal energy that is usually taking place during the whole charging and discharging process. This flow channel comprises a cool system that works in various ways to achieve the main goal. It might even the temperature difference between the two batteries or it may keep the temperature rise inside a battery even. In this way, the flow channel acts as a core to the design and helps to achieve the desired results.

Now after looking at the mechanics of the design of our interchangeable batteries we must delve into the practicality or the viability of our batteries. All this means whether we have researched and experimented enough to be sure that our design serves the purpose best and the methods and functions of each of the part of the interchangeable battery are fulfilled by them. for this experimental verification, several tests have been conducted that include the pressure and temperature drop tests and the dynamic strain and pressure tests. All these tests have produced results that are completely in favour of our design.

Thus, after detailed research and in numerous experiments the design presented above is one of the most robust design and would hopefully serve the purpose well. One important thing to note here is that design has so far considered all the main goals that were presents din the aims and objectives of this very paper except for the recharging point which is to be discussed later.

Concise Plan with a Gantt chart

Here is a pictorial representation of how the plan for the design of these interchangeable batteries for electric cars should work. The very basic step that we started with was the use of extensive research to obtain as much data on the subject as possible. After the research, we spent time designing the basic aims and objectives for the design and its functionality. Moving further major time is to be spent on experimenting with the design and then later its verification. The final step is testing the design for the purpose it was built for.

Design of an Interchangeable Battery pack system for Electric vehicles

Literature Review

As we have seen, that with the advancement of technology and the drive to thrive people have adapted over time. they are continuously switching from their prior primitive ways to new modern and healthy ways. The switch was essential as the prior activities posed serious threats to the sustainability of our mother earth. The fuel cars that have been used until the date emit gasses that not only threaten the survival of human beings but also our planet. With an intension to improve and develop something sustainable the electric vehicles were introduced to the markets and were happily opted by the people. People wanted to inculcate this change in their lives, and they wanted to switch to more sustainable ways. These electrics cars are considered the greenest cars that have crawled the earth as instead of fuel in the form of diesel or petroleum these cars used electricity. The use of electricity not only prevented the emission of greenhouse gasses but also prevented the production of harmful carbon substances that adversely impacted life on earth. After their introduction, their use was limited as they operate don batteries that exhausted too fast and could be used for a limited distance only. Then came in the invention of interchangeable batteries for the electric vehicles. These batteries improved the functioning of our electric cars as they provided the option to change batteries when they get exhausted. This introduction changed the whole perspective that people held regarding the product. They happily opted for electric cars with interchangeable batteries.

Hence, much research has been done to design the best interchangeable batteries for our electric cars. There are many types of interchangeable batteries present in the market. Each one is suited best for its intended purpose. All this has revolutionized the automotive industry and they are more eager to provide the very option of interchanging batteries of their cars.

Therefore, we must give more importance to more sustainable ways and try to achieve the desired results.

Obstacles in work and how do we overcome them

Many obstacles were faced during the basic designing process. The very idea of providing the option of interchangeability added to the uncertainty associated with the product. There are many concerns associated with the product still. The idea that these batteries, if not designed well, could lead to big mishaps was enough to set us back but after extensive research and multiple testing, we were able to lay off the doubts. The very first obstacle was the design of a battery that was lightweight and could be interchanged easily. To do so we must consider numerous design changes in different modules of the battery and choose the ones that were most fitted to the goals. The next obstacle was to design a system for even cooling of the batteries. Again, many possible ways were suggested that included changing the alignment of the batteries so that they could dissipate the thermal energy well. However, opting for a better cooling system was preferred by all. Something that was well incorporated into our design was preferred more as it increased the durability of the batteries. The final step was the constant swelling of the batteries that occurred due to the reactions. This swelling was one of the most crucial concern as it could lead to explosions and could lead to greater loss. Hence, we designed and tested different batteries and came up with the one the dealt with the issue most efficiently.

Conclusion

Thus, to sum up, no change is easy. All this means that no doubt the introduction of the electric cars was welcomed by all due to the greater good and the sustainability that the design offered but still, people were hesitant to opt for it in the beginning. In the same way, our design may add to the robustness of the electric cars, but it is going to face some backlash. However, we have tried our level best to come up with something that not only adds to the greater good but is also durable. The extensive research conducted should not go in vain. Although it will take people some time to understand what we have introduced. Hence, this paper was a brief introduction to the design of interchangeable batteries that helped people understand the core of our product. The aims and objectives regarding the product have been set after reading multiple research papers published by well-known people. All this adds to the convenience of our people. The purpose is still to improve and to thrive.


References

Arora, Shashank, and Ajay Kapoor. “Mechanical Design and Packaging of Battery Packs for Electric Vehicles: Semantic Scholar.” Undefined, 1 Jan. 1970, www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Mechanical-Design-and-Packaging-of-Battery-Packs-Arora-Kapoor/8ee80fd24b983ad892a7cd07c149b486da1ebdaf.

Arora, Shashank, and Ajay Kapoor. “Mechanical Design and Packaging of Battery Packs for Electric Vehicles.” Aalto University, 1 Jan. 2018, research.aalto.fi/en/publications/mechanical-design-and-packaging-of-battery-packs-for-electric-veh.

Multi-Timescale Parametric Electrical Battery Model for Use in Dynamic Electric Vehicle Simulations - IEEE Journals & Magazine, ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7469782.

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