Mechanical durability and electrical durability of an aluminium-laminated lithium-ion polymer battery pack for a hybrid electric vehicle

Abstract

Lithium-ion polymer batteries of aluminium-laminated packaging structure have advantages in terms of thermal characteristics and safety but have a weak configuration with respect to external forces compared with other types of cells such as cylindrical and prismatic cells. Thus it is important to protect the batteries of the aluminium-laminated packaging structure under the severe conditions encountered in vehicle operation where excessive mechanical impacts and vibrations may affect the battery system. In this work, an energy storage system for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) has been developed using lithium-ion polymer battery cells with an aluminium-laminated packaging structure and has been tested for structural and electrical durabilities. The test results of combined accelerated vibration and charge discharge cycling are presented to prove that the battery pack has the durability to satisfy vehicle standards. Three different types of test method have been applied to evaluate the mechanical and electrical durabilities. It was observed that the HEV battery pack satisfied the durability standards required for vehicle applications. The results imply that an aluminium-laminated cell packaging structure can be a competitive option for physical configuration of cells for vehicle applications.