one
FEATURES OF THE NATIONAL CAR
It is not easy to place energy sources for an electric motor in a car; a battery pack requires a fair amount of space. The best place is under the cabin floor: a good weight distribution is ensured. Management - under the hood.
The power system is reliably protected by plastic casings from external influences of an aggressive environment. In addition, modern batteries are effective only in a narrow temperature range, so the compartment is also thermally insulated. Although even for the middle part of Russia, not to mention the northern corners of our country, these measures are still not enough - heating is needed. While driving, we partially use the interior heating system, for the charging mode we realize electric heating. And if you do not have access to the outlet? As an option, we will provide a liquid fuel stove - not a zero exhaust, but emissions of such devices are negligible compared to ICE.
Remodeling a model with an internal combustion engine into an electric one is much more difficult than designing an electric car from scratch. First of all - because of the layout of the batteries: in the back of a borrowed design they have to literally be shoved around the cabin and trunk
Remodeling a model with an internal combustion engine into an electric one is much more difficult than designing an electric car from scratch. First of all - because of the layout of the batteries: in the back of a borrowed design they have to literally be shoved around the cabin and trunk. Remodeling a model with an internal combustion engine into an electric one is much more difficult than designing an electric car from scratch. First of all - because of the layout of the batteries: in the back of a borrowed design they have to literally be shoved around the cabin and trunk.
PERIODIC TABLE
Budget option - lead batteries. But they are not suitable for us: in order to accumulate a sufficient supply of energy on board, you will have to carry almost a ton of such batteries with you. Nickel-metal hydride sources are two times lighter, but this load is excessively heavy. Therefore, we pay attention to lithium-ion batteries, which recently migrated to electric vehicles from portable electronics.
Among the main advantages, in addition to high capacity, are the lack of a memory effect and low self-discharge. But there are also disadvantages: deep discharge shortens the life of lithium-ion batteries. In addition, over time, they lose capacity regardless of whether they were exploited or not.
Lithium-ion batteries heat up very well during intense use. Therefore, be sure to provide a cooling system that removes excess heat from the power source. By the way, it is useful for heating the cabin
Lithium-ion batteries heat up very well during intense use. Therefore, be sure to provide a cooling system that removes excess heat from the power source. By the way, it is useful for heating the cabin. Lithium-ion batteries heat up very well during intense use. Therefore, be sure to provide a cooling system that removes excess heat from the power source. By the way, it is useful for heating the cabin.
Fans of large-scale radio-controlled models use lithium-polymer batteries. Their main difference from lithium-ion: a porous separator impregnated with an electrolyte is replaced by a polymer. This design is easier to manufacture, safer for the environment and allows you to produce thin batteries of various shapes.
In addition, they have a high energy density per unit mass, low price. Another important parameter is that these batteries age slowly. In two years, only 20% of the capacity "leaves". Of the shortcomings - polymer batteries do not tolerate low temperatures and fail when overheated, and also very expensive.
An alternative to charging is the express replacement of discharged batteries with “full” ones at specialized stations. It is convenient and fast, but in our case it will be necessary to remake the whole car - arrange the batteries differently, provide for them an easily removable pallet or compartment with convenient access. In addition, the infrastructure is not yet ready. Therefore, for now, we will recharge, and we will save express replacement for promising models
An alternative to charging is the express replacement of discharged batteries with “full” ones at specialized stations. It is convenient and fast, but in our case it will be necessary to remake the whole car - arrange the batteries differently, provide for them an easily removable pallet or compartment with convenient access. In addition, the infrastructure is not yet ready. Therefore, for now, we will recharge, and we will save express replacement for promising models. An alternative to charging is the express replacement of discharged batteries with “full” ones at specialized stations. It is convenient and fast, but in our case it will be necessary to remake the whole car - arrange the batteries differently, provide for them an easily removable pallet or compartment with convenient access. In addition, the infrastructure is not yet ready. Therefore, for now, we will recharge, and we will save express replacement for promising models.
Searches for the perfect energy storage device are becoming more and more active every year. For example, the concept of lithium-air batteries looks attractive. According to the principle of action, they are similar to lithium-ion, only oxygen from the environment is used to oxidize lithium. As a result, the capacity of such a battery is already an order of magnitude higher. True, it is unlikely that by the start of mass production of our electric vehicle, these batteries will become mass: there are no effective catalysts that accelerate the chemical reaction.
Or maybe use supercapacitors, as the developers of the ё-mobile offer. Among the advantages of such an energy source are high efficiency, relatively low weight and low toxicity of materials, but the main thing is the ability to charge very quickly and maintain the initial capacity even after tens of thousands of charge-discharge cycles. However, while supercapacitors provide a very high-speed range - about five times less than with batteries.
Something like this in our electric car will be arranged batteries with control electronics. Estimated weight - about 200 kg. The energy reserve of batteries of 20 kW • h should be enough for 150-200 km
Something like this in our electric car will be arranged batteries with control electronics. Estimated weight - about 200 kg. The energy reserve of batteries of 20 kW • h should be enough for 150-200 km. Something like this in our electric car will be arranged batteries with control electronics. Estimated weight - about 200 kg. The energy reserve of batteries of 20 kW • h should be enough for 150-200 km.
SUMMARY
Lithium-ion batteries are not ideal, but so far they have no serious competitor, claiming a place in an electric car. They are the best in a combination of basic characteristics and service life. Today, a battery of batteries of the capacity we need, together with a charger, cooling and power systems, a control unit, weighs about 300 kg. Given the pace of progress in this area, we expect that by the start of mass production of an electric car it will decrease by 30% and we will reach the indicators approved by the terms of reference. We will look forward to the emergence of more advanced batteries, such as lithium-air. With such power sources, the next-generation electric car, the concept of which we are already considering, will not be inferior in power reserve to models with internal combustion engines.
SO LITHIUM-ION BATTERY WORKS
Lithium ion battery
As with all power supplies, there is a pair of electrodes inside the lithium-ion battery: negative (cathode) of graphite, positive (anode) of lithiated metal oxides - usually cobalt, less often nickel. The basis for the anode is aluminum, for the cathode is copper. During the discharge, lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive one, and electrical energy is released. When charging, the direction changes: the positive electrode is the source of lithium ions, and the negative is their receiver. Any lithium-ion battery is equipped with a controller that monitors the voltage and temperature of the battery both when charging and when delivering energy.
The device is one of the first automotive lithium-ion batteries that appeared a couple of years ago on the Mercedes-Benz S 400 Hybrid:
One of the first car lithium-ion batteries
1 - cooling module;
2 - lithium-ion cells;
3 - battery control unit;
4 - connector for coolant;
5 - high voltage connector;
6 - voltage regulator.
NOW
Volvo is testing batteries built into external body panels (the circuit opens in full size by clicking):
