- Electric car batteries differ from SLI batteries (starting, lighting, and ignition). SLI batteries are batteries that are usually installed in gasoline or diesel cars.
- There are five types of electric vehicle batteries as are followed:
- Lithium-Ion (Li-On)
- Nickel-Metal Hybrid (NIMH)
- Lead Acid (SLA)
- Ultracapacitor
- ZEBRA
1. Lithium-Ion Battery (Li-On)
- This type of electric vehicle battery is most widely applied to the Li-On battery.
- This battery may already be familiar to us because it is also used in many portable electronic equipments such
- as cellphones and laptops.
- The main difference is a matter of scale. Its physical capacity and size on electric cars are much greater this is often referred to as a traction battery pack.
- Li-ion batteries have a very high power-to-weight ratio. This type of electric car battery is high energy efficiency.
- Performance at high temperatures is also good.
- The battery has a greater energy ratio per weight – a parameter that is very important for electric car batteries.
- The smaller the battery weight (same KWH capacity), the car can travel further with a single charge.
- This battery also has a low “self-discharge” level, so the battery is better than any other battery in maintaining its ability to hold its full charge.
- In addition, most parts of Li-on batteries can be recycled, making it the right choice for those interested in environmentally conscious electric cars. BEV cars and PHEVs use the most lithium batteries.
Li-on battery Types
- Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)-LFP
- Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide (LiNiCOA102) – NCA
- Lithium Nickel Manganese (LiNiMnCoO2)-NMC
- Lithium Titanate (Li2TiO3)-LTO
- Lithium Manganese Oxide (LiMn204) – LMG
- Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2)-LCO
2. Hybrid Nickel-Metal (NIMH) Batteries
- NiMH batteries are more widely used by hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) but are also used successfully in some BEV cars.
- This type of hybrid electric car battery does not get power from outside (can be recharged from an outside source of the car system). The recharging of hybrid electric car batteries depends on engine speed, wheels, and regenerative braking.
- NiMH batteries have a longer life cycle than lithium-ion batteries or SLA batteries. NiMH batteries are safe and tolerant of incorrect usage.
Disadvantages of NIMH batteries
- The price is relatively more expensive
- High self-discharge rate
- Generate significant heat at high temperatures.
- These deficiencies make NiMH less effective as a battery for electric cars whose batteries must be able to be recharged from outside the system, such as from the PLN network.
3. Lead-Acid Batteries
- SLA (lead-acid) batteries are the oldest rechargeable batteries. Compared to lithium and NiMH batteries, lead-acid batteries de lose capacity and are much heavier, but the rice is relatively cheap and safe.
- There are large-capacity SLA electric car batteries under development, but SLA batteries are now only used by commercial vehicles as a secondary storage system.
4. Ultra-capacitor Batteries
- The ultra-capacitor battery is not like the general definition of a battery. In contrast to other electrochemical batteries, this electric vehicle battery actually stores polarized liquid between the electrode and the electrolyte.
- As the surface area of the liquid increases, the energy storage capacity also increases. Like SLA batteries, ultra-capacitor batteries are very suitable as secondary storage devices in electric vehicles.
- This is because the ultra-capacitor helps electrochemical batteries increase their load levels. In addition, ultra-capacitor can provide extra power to electric vehicles during acceleration and regenerative braking.
5. ZEBRA Batteries
- The battery for ZEBRA electric cars is a low-temperature variant of sodium-sulphur (NaS) batteries and is a development of ZEBRA (originally “Zeolite Battery Research Africa” then became a “Zero Emissions Batteries Research Activity” battery) in 1985.
- From the beginning, ZEBRA batteries were indeed developed for electric vehicle applications. The battery uses NaAIC14 with Na-beta-alumina ceramic electrolyte.
Characteristics of ZEBRA batteries
- High-power cell so that it fits as an electric car battery
- High-temperature batteries operate at more than 270 “C
- The chemical Sodium Nickel Chloride (NaNICI) provides a nominal operating cell voltage of 2.58 Volts
Advantages of ZEBRA battery
- The high energy density (5 times higher than SLA batteries)
- Large cells (up to 500Ah) allow
- Life cycle> 1000 cycle
- Short circuit tolerance
- Safer than Sodium Sulphur cells
- The typical cell failure is shorted but does not cause the battery to be fully damaged.
- Low-cost ingredients
Disadvantages of ZEBRA battery
- Suitable for large capacity batteries (> 20kWh)
- Limited size and capacity range
- Only one factory in the world produces this battery.
- High internal resistance
- Liquid sodium electrode
- High operating temperature.
- Preheating is required to get the battery up to an operating temperature of 270° C (up to 24 hours from cold conditions)
- Uses 14% of its own capacity per day to maintain temperature when not in use.