How to Test High-Power EV Battery Packs
Validating high-power EV battery packs with emulation
Verifying the performance of high-power electric vehicle (EV) battery packs requires emulating real-world operating environments with varying electrical, climatic, and temperature parameters. The combined data from climatic or temperature profiles, current and power curves, characterization steps, and cycling tests provide insights for improving range performance, battery safety, and durability.
Emulating this test environment includes various requirements like pre-charge to trigger the safe closing of the output relays, Restbus simulation to test the supported protocols, and emulation of auxiliary equipment and supplies in the EV's operating environment. It is also vital to automate and synchronize the measurement and test equipment in the lab to ensure the performance and safety of the batteries under test.
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SL1091A Scienlab Energy Storage Discover Software
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SL1740A Scienlab Battery Test System – Pack Level, 300 kW
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Frequently asked questions about testing high-power EV battery packs
The electric vehicle must perform under harsh and varying environments, sometimes from extremely hot to sub-zero climates. It must also withstand mechanical stress from vibrations. Hence, EV battery pack testing is essential to ensure the battery is safe, optimize its performance, and thus increase the electric vehicle’s range and durability. It is also important to test for the power flow through the numerous solders and wiring connections between modules within the battery pack, and connection to the battery management systems (BMS).
It is important to analyze and evaluate the EV battery pack design by testing the following:
- Interaction of all the components involved and their mutual impact.
- Communication of all internal mechanical and electrical. components, including power converters and onboard chargers.
- Communication with external systems like different EV supply equipment (EVSE).
- Analysis of thermal and electrical reactions of the battery pack and thermal management.
The EV battery pack typically undergoes various measurements to determine its state of charge (SoC), depth of discharge (DoD), direct current internal resistance (DCIR), and state of health (SoH) to characterize its performance.
A typical battery pack combined with a battery management system, a cooling system, and electronics is a complex system with high voltages and currents. Testing requires lab equipment that can provide a voltage range of up to 1,500 V and power of up to 300 kW.
Increasingly, high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor technology is being used in battery pack test equipment to provide high energy efficiency. This reduces operating costs for energy and cooling water due to improved energy efficiency.
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