KIT develops modular battery for short-distance electric buses

    With the continuous development of technology, the reliability of electric vehicles is getting higher and higher, and this mode of travel is more energy-efficient and efficient, so the application of electric drive devices powered by battery packs in city buses is also a good choice. City buses rarely run at high speeds, but frequently accelerate and decelerate. The single mileage is affected by the size of the city and belongs to short-distance transportation. Such working conditions can allow the electric drive system to perform at its best. Considering the cost of battery packs compared to fuel today, it is very suitable for city buses to be equipped with electric drive devices. At this year's Frankfurt International Motor Show in Germany, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will release a model of an urban electric bus to reveal the concept of this advanced technology.

    The core components of an urban electric bus are of course the electric drive system, which includes a high-torque motor, a high-voltage circuit network, a battery pack management system, and a lithium-ion modular battery system made in Germany. At the Frankfurt Motor Show, this model car, which is prepared for real road testing, will also show some optional configurations in the design of an urban bus electric drive system.

    By using the urban electric bus model as an opportunity, the innovative potential of the KIT research team will be perfectly displayed to the world, helping to gain more attention from enterprises and institutions. By simulating driving conditions, the matching degree and interaction information between various components in the system are collected and analyzed using relevant experimental methods, which will help to further develop the driving performance of electric vehicles in the future.

    The battery system adopts a flat module structure. Different numbers of flat modules are selected according to the different uses of the vehicle to meet the battery pack size and power performance requirements at the beginning of the design. In addition, according to the characteristics of the internal space distribution of different models, the flat modules are assembled into the most suitable shape and size, so that all the remaining space on the body can be converted into usable space for the energy storage system. The battery pack management and control system and drive control system developed by KIT for urban electric buses provide some auxiliary control for the user's driving operation to prevent real-time data such as current, voltage, and vehicle speed from breaking through the performance limits of the components of the electric drive system and causing unnecessary hardware damage.

    Appropriate component selection and high matching can effectively improve the energy efficiency of electric buses. In addition, the expected control and energy regeneration strategies are also of great significance. The so-called energy regeneration is to convert the braking energy during braking into electrical energy to supply the battery pack to store energy for subsequent driving. The drive system also includes a low-torque engine to provide additional power for working conditions requiring high torque. The engine is directly connected to the differential gear on the rear axle of the vehicle, which simplifies the entire reduction device and retains the torque transmission efficiency of the system to the greatest extent.

    For more information about KIT electric buses, let's wait and see when the Frankfurt Motor Show comes.