SIVTHEC, a research program to evaluate high power batteries ageing in actual use

The 17th International Electric Vehicle Symposium, MONTREAL, CANADA, 15-/10/2000 - 18/10/2000This paper describes a research project aiming at evaluating high power batteries ageing in actual use. This study includes a theoretical part (transit vehicle simulation) and a practical part (battery test on load banks). The batteries considered in the project are lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, lithium-ion and lithium-polymer, for each battery type a manufacturer is associated (resp. Hawker-Oldham, SAFT, and Bolloré). Vehicles taken into account in the project are transit vehicles with thermic-electric hybrid or dual mode catenary-battery driveline (buses or GLT). Specific micro and macro cycles have been defined in order to reproduce as close as possible high power battery actual use in the vehicles. For each battery type, four different cycles have been created, battery performances, expressed in usable capacity and internal resistance are recorded periodically during the ageing tests on load banks. The project is now half way and more than 7500 macro cycles have been reached for the most advanced test (li-ion). The paper will describe the simulation software and the interaction with the battery ageing data base that will be created using the load bank test results