Realistic Drive Cycle-Based Testing Methodology for Batteries in Micro Hybrid Electric Vehicles

Abstract

This paper presents a battery testing methodology for integrated starter and generator applications in micro hybrid electric vehicles. Instead of requiring an actual vehicle and large dynamometers, a simulated battery current profile is used for test conduction. Operation profiles of the battery current are generated for a micro hybrid electric vehicle using the information of a vehicle propulsion system and four different drive cycles. The effect of temperature is also included during the verification process. A cost-effective battery test bench is developed based on the presented test methodology and details of the test bench configuration are discussed. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed test approach, a battery that supports the operation of a 6 kW integrated starter and generator is tested using the proposed approach. The effect of temperature is also studied by both simulation and experiments. The considered testing approach is expected to benefit battery suppliers by enabling the cost-effective verification of a battery performance. As the proposed approach includes the effect of drive cycles and temperature, furthermore, a comprehensive and realistic testing that focuses on the battery performance can be performed.