Reconfigurable Battery Packs
Technology Description:
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) is developing an innovative, reconfigurable design for electric vehicle battery packs that can re-route power in real time between individual cells. Much like how most cars carry a spare tire in the event of a blowout, today's battery packs contain extra capacity to continue supplying power, managing current, and maintaining capacity as cells age and degrade. Some batteries carry more than 4 times the capacity needed to maintain operation, or the equivalent of mounting 16 tires on a vehicle in the event that one tire goes flat. This overdesign is expensive and inefficient. Penn State's design involves unique methods of electrical reconfigurability to enable the battery pack to switch out cells as they age and weaken. The system would also contain control hardware elements to monitor and manage power across cells, identify damaged cells, and signal the need to switch them out of the circuit.
Potential Impact:
If successful, Penn State's reconfigurable battery packs would enhance battery safety and performance while addressing the costly and inefficient overdesign common to today's best electric vehicle battery packs.
Security:
Advances in energy storage management could reduce the cost and increase the adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage technologies, which in turn would reduce our nation's dependence on foreign sources of energy.
Environment:
Improving the reliability and safety of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage facilities would enable more widespread use of these technologies, resulting in a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.
Economy:
Enabling alternatives to conventional sources of energy could insulate consumers, businesses, and utilities from unexpected price swings.
Contact
ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Patrick McGrath
Project Contact:
Prof. Hosam Fathy
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
hkf2@psu.edu
Partners
University of Michigan, Dearborn
Gannon Motor and Controls LLC
Related Projects
Release Date:
04/02/2012