Dramatic shot of the researchers researching. Professor Miroslav Krstic at left, and Postdoctoral Scott Moura on the right are the leads in the project (via University of California)
Sometimes scientists and engineers oversee problems with conventional methods, leading to scrapped projects when these conventions are not questioned. An example of this is the cancellation of the Toyota eQ electric vehicle due to Toyota’s lack of confidence in how consumers view EVs, mostly in the area of battery charging times. This traditional take may soon change.
A research team at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC Davis, has received a $4 million dollar grant from the DOE’s ARPA-E to develop and test mathematical models and battery operating algorithms that will make more effective and efficient use of lithium ion batteries. Lowering their size, cost and charging times while increasing longevity is the focus for the group. These tests will be done in conjunction with electric vehicle equipment from the automotive firm Bosch and battery manufacturer Cobasys, whom received most of the grant.
The vast majority of conventional battery monitoring methods simply look at the voltage across the battery and resulting current to indirectly infer information like charge and the battery operating condition. Postdoctoral Fellow Scott Moura, said this method is like trying to figure out how fast and where people sat in a theater, simply by looking at how fast the line moves. The team is hoping that mathematical models can provide a better understanding of where “people are sitting” so that “broken seats” can be identified and the theater can be filled to its maximum efficiently and safely. Bringing this analogy back to the original conversation of batteries, the team hopes to refine estimation mathematical models that will describe the distribution of Li+ ions throughout the battery. This would allow for better gauging of battery longevity as well as identify damaged sections. That information will also lead to finding optimum charging rates and times, so that Li-ion batteries can be discharged and charged at their maximum efficiency safely.
Once the algorithms and mathematical models are refined, the team expects the cost of manufacturing Li-ion batteries could be decrease by 25% as they can be smaller, used more efficiently and have increased longevity. This could also result in batteries charging in half the time of today’s batteries. In one instance (though it is unclear which instance is being referred to) the UC-Davis team said charging time could be as fast as 15 mins. Elegance over brute force is always preferred.
Cabe
