Exploring the aero-structural-battery energy storage coupling within the early-stage development of life cycle energy optimal electric vehicles

• The Life Cycle Energy Optimisation (LCEO) methodology is used to explore the coupling existing between an electric vehicle's aerodynamic shape, structural material composition and design, and the properties of its onboard battery's chemistry in order to enable the development of more sustainable vehicle configurations. To this end, a mixed integer nonlinear programming formulation of the LCEO methodology was developed to include the effects of battery energy storage systems on the Life Cycle Energy (LCE) optimal vehicle designs. In particular, the vehicle's battery size and number of such batteries needed over its life cycle were introduced as variables subject to a range and a battery cycle life constraint. The former is derived from the battery-capacity-to-structural-mass ratio of recent production vehicles, while the latter ensures that the batteries' cycle lives are sufficient for the entirety of the vehicle's use phase. Additionally, three lithium-based battery chemistries with varying properties were included: lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO); along with a closed-loop end-of-life recycling scenario for the battery materials. The results of the coupled aero-structural-battery energy storage LCE-driven design optimisations demonstrate that battery chemistry and recycling potential have a significant impact on the system's design in terms of overall LCE footprint, battery size and number, as well as aerodynamic shape. More specifically, a change in battery composition was found to lead to up to 12.5% variation in drag coefficient, while battery recycling can on average reduce a vehicle's associated LCE by 32%. Furthermore, battery material recycling was found to decrease the role played by the specific energy and cycle lives of the batteries, and increase that played by their embodied energy. Consequently, the LFP battery chemistry was found to be the best performer from an LCE perspective in the presence of battery material recycling; while the NMC chemistry was found to perform marginally better in the absence of the latter.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Farkostteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Vehicle Engineering (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Naturresursteknik -- Energisystem (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Environmental Engineering -- Energy Systems (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Teknisk mekanik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Applied Mechanics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Life cycle energy optimisation

Battery capacity optimisation

Electric-vehicle design

Aero-structural coupling

Functional conflicts and alignments

Farkostteknik

Vehicle and Maritime Engineering

Optimeringslära och systemteori

Optimization and Systems Theory

SRA - Transport

SRA - Transport

Teknisk mekanik

Engineering Mechanics

Energiteknik

Energy Technology

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