Balancing process is crucial to keeping battery lifespan and protecting the battery cell in series connection. Commonly, passive balancing is widely used in BMS because cheap and simple to implement. The passive balancing used passive element (resistor) to dispose of the excess charge of battery. The use of this resistor is quite effective for small battery capacity. For large battery capacity used in EV and HEV, a big power resistor is needed so that the balancing time of the battery is faster. With a large power resistor for each battery cell will result in BMS hardware becomes large. In this paper was designed a passive balancing BMS that combines the power resistor and MOSFET internal resistance as a balancing resistor. The use of MOSFET internal resistance will save space on BMS hardware compared with power resistor with greater balancing current capability. The proposed method was applied to 1P15S battery pack consisting of 15 cells LiFePO4 battery with a capacity of 200 Ah. The preliminary experimental result shows that using internal resistance of the MOSFET as a balancing resistor was feasible and effectively done. The balancing current of the battery is determined by the internal resistance value of the MOSFET.

Glass fiber reinforced plastic (GFRP) composites have great potential to replace metal components in vehicles by maintaining their mechanical properties and improving fire resistance. Ease of form, anti-corrosion, lightweight, fast production cycle, durability and high strength-to-weight ratio are the advantages of GFRP compared to conventional materials. The transition to the use of plastic materials can be performed by increasing their mechanical, thermal and fire resistance properties. This research aims to improve the fire resistance of GFRP composite and maintain its strength by a combination of pumice-based active nano filler and commercial active filler. The nano active filler of pumice particle (nAFPP) was obtained by the sol–gel method. Aluminum trihydroxide (ATH), sodium silicate (SS) and boric acid (BA) were commercial active fillers that were used in this study. The GFRP composite was prepared by a combination of woven roving (WR) and chopped strand mat (CSM) glass fibers with an unsaturated polyester matrix. The composite specimens were produced using a press mold method for controlling the thickness of specimens. Composites were tested with a burning test apparatus, flexural bending machine and Izod impact tester. Composites were also analyzed by SEM, TGA, DSC, FT-IR spectroscopy and macro photographs. The addition of nAFPP and reducing the amount of ATH increased ignition time significantly and decreased the burning rate of specimens. The higher content of nAFPP significantly increased the flexural and impact strength. TGA analysis shows that higher ATH content had a good contribution to reducing specimen weight loss. It is also strengthened by the lower exothermic of the specimen with higher ATH content. The use of SS and BA inhibited combustion by forming charcoal or protective film; however, excessive use of them produced porosity and lowered mechanical properties.

The use of a polymer composite material in electric vehicles (EVs) has been extensively investigated, especially as a substitute for steel. The key objective of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the existing and emerging technologies related to the application of such a composite, especially for battery pack applications, in which its high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, design flexibility, and durability are advantageous compared to any metal in general. This study explores the key considerations in the design and fabrication of composites, including base material selection, structural design optimization, reinforcement material, manufacturing processes, and integration with battery systems. The paper also discusses the performance characteristics of composite battery pack structures, such as mechanical properties, thermal management, safety aspects, and environmental sustainability. This study aims to contribute to sharpening the direction of future research and innovations in the area of composite battery pack technology.

The improvement of environmental awareness emerges issues on new technology leading to environmentally friendly technology. One of the said technologies is electric vehicle (EV) technology. EV brings zero emission concepts as the positive result of electric motor propulsion system. Zero emission concepts in this term can be applied not only in a built-in EV but also in converting a fossil fueled vehicle into its electric version. Considering financial curb and the available choices of new vehicles, vehicle conversion becomes an effective investment alternative in line with vehicle utility purpose. Just like EVs, the electric vehicle conversion performance requirements depend on few targets which are trip distance, speed and cost. The electric vehicle conversion based on daily trip distance can be designed according to the required battery capacity. The capacity of the battery divided by the average of energy consumption of each kilometer can be used to predict the range distance from fully to low charged of EV batteries. Speed target depends on the electric motor power used. When more speed is needed then more power is needed from electric motor. The electric motor power affects voltage and current specification required. Hence, affects the battery specifications. Increasing the battery voltage can increase the electric motor power, instead reduces the battery maximum current. One of the problems of electric vehicle conversion is the cost. Cost target is the boundaries that appear in addition to technical limits. Optimization of the mileage and speed can be affected by the cost target. The cost effectiveness is also an impact on the determination of EV conversion performance requirements based on the trip distance and speed. About 20-50% of EV conversion cost is the battery. It depends on battery type used. Therefore when requirement of EV conversion is based on cost it is better to start with determining the battery then the required drive components

A composite container for an electric vehicle (EV) battery module filled with a phase-change material (PCM) was experimentally tested at various discharge rates. The average cell temperatures at 1 C, 2 C, and 4 C discharge rates, respectively, might reach 38 °C, 50 °C, and 70 °C in the absence of any heat-absorbing material. The temperature was noticeably lower with PCM present than with a conventional battery module. For instance, at 4 C discharge rates, none of the battery cells inside the PCM-filled module were able to reach 70 °C. Unfortunately, the PCM addition also degraded the composite’s tensile qualities. Further investigations used Paraffin-20 and Caprylone since PCMs provide a notably different thermal performance due to their distinctive latent heat profiles. It was observed that a high melting temperature of the paraffin mixture, despite its slightly lower latent heat capacity compared to Caprylone, could lead to a more uniform temperature. Overall, both PCMs can be used as passive protection against any potential thermal abuses in EV battery modules, while in terms of mechanical strength, the use of a composite reinforcement material is strongly encouraged.

Steer-by-wire (SbW) is the latest steering evolution, providing many benefits, such as reduced vehicle weight and enhanced steering capability. While reliability is one of the main concerns hindering its widespread application, the potential of this technology to revolutionize the automotive industry is huge. Control techniques play an important part in achieving the full potential of SbW by focusing on the development of its performance and safety aspects. This paper provides a review of the control techniques that are being used in SbW technology to achieve better performance and enhance safety. Various control techniques for SbW exist to serve different purposes when dealing with the non-linear nature of the SbW dynamics. Although there is no one-size-fits-all control technique for all the requirements of the SbW, this study highlights that the non-linear controllers based on the sliding mode control (SMC) are a popular option for enhancing the accuracy of SbW systems. However, these controllers often suffer from a downside known as chattering. In contrast, robust controllers like Model Predictive Controllers (MPCs) can effectively manage uncertain dynamics and eliminate chattering, although they pose challenges due to their high computational costs.