Batteries in a vehicle – conditions, capabilities and limitations

¹ Warsaw University of Tehcnology, IETiSIP
² Impact Clean Power Technology S.A.

^* e-mail: biczel@ee.pw.edu.pl

Abstract

Electric buses are now seen as the primary means of public transport in cities. However, their exploitation is associated with a number of limitations. The article presents the problem of battery use in buses. The design differences between the vehicle with the internal combustion engine and the electric motor are discussed. In particular, authors compared the number of passengers that both types of buses can take, as well as the difference in vehicle mass and range, and the reasons for these differences. The types of electrochemical cells that can be used to power vehicles and their basic features are presented. The article focuses on the NMC, LFP, LTO and LIC type cells. Next, the battery pack structure and its components were described. The specific energies of cells and batteries constructed from these cells were compared. Next, the most important features of the vehicle equipped with batteries with various types of cells are discussed. The mass, range, charging time and cycle lifetime of the batteries were compared. The basic dependence was noted: the greater the specific energy, the smaller the number of battery cycles. So if the bus has to take more passengers, it must have light batteries, which should be frequently charged, which requires high cyclic lifetimes.