Over the past several decades, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) has continued to increase. Projections estimate that worldwide, more than 125 million EVs will be on the road by 2030. At the heart of these advanced vehicles is the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery which provides the required energy storage. This paper presents and compares key components of Li-ion batteries and describes associated battery management systems, as well as approaches to improve the overall battery efficiency, capacity, and lifespan. Material and thermal characteristics are identified as critical to battery performance. The positive and negative electrode materials, electrolytes and the physical implementation of Li-ion batteries are discussed. In addition, current research on novel high energy density batteries is presented, as well as opportunities to repurpose and recycle the batteries.

Negative impacts from the dominant use of petroleum-based transportation have propelled the globe towards electrified transportation. With this thrust, many technological challenges are being encountered and addressed, one of which is the development and availability of fast-charging technologies. To compete with petroleum-based transportation, electric vehicle (EV) battery charging times need to decrease to the 5–10 min range. This paper provides a review of EV fast-charging technologies and the impacts on the battery systems, including heat management and associated limitations. In addition, the paper presents promising new approaches and opportunities for power electronic converter topologies and systems level research to advance the state-of-the-art in fast-charging.

Electric machines are critical components of the drivetrains of electric vehicles. Over the past few years the majority of traction drive systems have converged toward containing some form of a permanent magnet machine. There is increasing tendency toward the improvement of power density and efficiency of traction machines, thereby giving rise to innovative designs and improvements of basic machine topologies and the emergence of new classes of machines. This paper provides an overview of present trends toward high specific power density machines for traction drive systems. The focus will be on current technology and the trends that are likely to be pursued in the near future to achieve the high specific power goals set for the industry. The paper discusses machines that are applied in both hybrid and battery electric drivetrains without distinction and does not discuss the associated power electronic inverters. Future electric machine trends that are likely to occur are also projected.

Although plastic is considered an indispensable commodity, plastic pollution is a major concern around the world due to its rapid accumulation rate, complexity, and lack of management. Some political policies, such as the Chinese import ban on plastic waste, force us to think about a long-term solution to eliminate plastic wastes. Converting waste plastics into liquid and gaseous fuels is considered a promising technique to eliminate the harm to the environment and decrease the dependence on fossil fuels, and recycling waste plastic by converting it into monomers is another effective solution to the plastic pollution problem. This paper presents the critical situation of plastic pollution, various methods of plastic depolymerization based on different kinds of polymers defined in the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) Resin Identification Coding System, and the opportunities and challenges in the future.

The transportation industry contributes a significant amount of carbon emissions and pollutants to the environment globally. The adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has a significant potential to not only reduce carbon emissions, but also to provide needed energy storage to contribute to the adoption of distributed renewable generation. This paper focuses on a design model and methodology for increasing EV adoption through automated swapping of battery packs at battery sharing stations (BShS) as a part of a battery sharing network (BShN), which would become integral to the smart grid. Current battery swapping methodologies are reviewed and a new practical approach is proposed considering both the technical and socio-economic impacts. The proposed BShS/BShN provides novel solutions to some of the most preeminent challenges that EV adoption faces today such as range anxiety, grid reliability, and cost. Challenges and advancements specific to this solution are also discussed.

Accurate electric vehicle (EV) powertrain modeling, simulation and validation is paramount for critical design and control decisions in high performance vehicle designs. Described in this paper is a methodology for the design and development of EV powertrain through modeling, simulation and validation on a real-world vehicle system with detailed analysis of the results. Although simulation of EV powertrains in software simulation environments plays a significant role in the design and development of EVs, validating these models on the real-world vehicle systems plays an equally important role in improving the overall vehicle reliability, safety and performance. This modeling approach leverages the use of MATLAB/Simulink software for the modeling and simulation of an EV powertrain, augmented by simultaneously validating the modeling results on a real-world vehicle which is performance tested on a chassis dynamometer. The combination of these modeling techniques and real-world validation demonstrates a methodology for a cost effective means of rapidly developing and validating high performance EV powertrains, filling the literature gaps in how these modeling methodologies can be carried out in a research framework.