ELECTRIC VEHICLES WITH ADAPTIVE FAST-CHARGING, UTILIZING SUPERCAPACITOR-EMULATING BATTERIES

• US 20180050602A1
• Filed: 10/13/2017
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: StoreDot Ltd.
• Original Assignee: StoreDot Ltd.
• Inventors: ARONOV, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,293,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/244 Charge state
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0036 using connection detecting circuits H02J7/0034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs), power trains and control units and methods are provided. Power trains comprise a main fast-charging lithium ion battery (FC), configured to deliver power to the electric vehicle, a supercapacitor-emulating fast-charging lithium ion battery (SCeFC), configured to receive power and deliver power to the FC and/or to the EV, and a control unit. Both the FC and the SCeFC have anodes based on the same anode active material, and the SCeFC is configured to operate at high rates within a limited operation range of state of charge (SoC), maintained by the control unit, which is further configured to manage the FC and the SCeFC with respect to power delivery to and from the EV, respectively, and manage power delivery from the SCeFC to the FC according to specified criteria that minimize a depth of discharge and/or a number of cycles of the FC.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle (EV) power train comprising:

a main fast-charging lithium ion module (FC), configured to deliver power to the EV,

a supercapacitor-emulating fast-charging lithium ion module (SCeFC), configured to receive power and to deliver power to the EV and/or to the FC,

wherein both the FC and the SCeFC have anodes based on a same anode active material,

wherein the SCeFC is configured to operate at least at a maximal charging rate of 5 C and within an operation range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the anode active material; and

a control unit configured to;

maintain a state of charge (SoC) of the SCeFC within the operation range around the working point,

manage the FC and the SCeFC with respect to power delivery to and from the EV, respectively, and

manage power delivery from the SCeFC to the FC and/or to the EV according to specified criteria.

2. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to minimize a depth of discharge (DoD) of the FC.

3. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to minimize a number of cycles of the FC.

4. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the anode active material is Si, Ge and/or Sn-based.

5. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the anode active material is LTO (lithium titanate)-based.

6. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein both modules, FC and SCeFC, are implemented in a single battery, wherein the control unit is further configured to manage allocation of elements of the single battery to the FC and the SCeFC.

7. The EV power train of claim 6, wherein the control unit is further configured to re-allocate elements of the single battery between the FC and the SCeFC according to operation parameters of the elements.

8. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the FC and SCeFC are implemented in at least two corresponding separate batteries.

9. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to allocate at least a part of the SCeFC to complement operation of the FC when the FC experiences reduced capacity, wherein the allocation is carried out by increasing the operation range of the SCeFC.

10. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the anode active material is configured to enable operation of the SCeFC only around the working point and within the operation range.

11. The EV power train of claim 10, wherein an anode of the SCeFC comprises mechanical barriers configured to prevent full expansion of the anode material upon lithiation.

12. The EV power train of claim 11, wherein the mechanical barriers are configured to enable 80% or less of the full expansion of the anode material upon lithiation.

13. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein a cathode of the SCeFC has a capacity of 80% or less than the anode thereof.

14. The EV power train of claim 1, wherein the SCeFC is configured to operate at least at a maximal charging rate of 50 C.

15. An EV comprising the EV power train of claim 1.

16. A method comprising:

configuring a power train for an electric vehicle (EV) from a main fast-charging lithium ion module (FC), configured to deliver power to the EV, and a supercapacitor-emulating fast-charging lithium ion module (SCeFC), configured to receive power and to deliver power to the EV and/or to the FC, wherein both the FC and the SCeFC have anodes based on a same anode active material, and wherein the SCeFC is configured to operate at least at a maximal charging rate of 5 C and within an operation range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the anode active material,

operating the SCeFC battery to maintain a state of charge (SoC) of the SCeFC within the operation range around the working point,

managing the FC and the SCeFC with respect to power delivery to and from the EV, respectively, and

managing power delivery from the SCeFC to the FC and/or to the EV according to specified criteria.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising allocating at least a part of the SCeFC to complement operation of the FC when the FC experiences reduced capacity, wherein the allocation is carried out by increasing the operation range of the SCeFC.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising configuring the anode active material to enable operation of the SCeFC only around the working point and within the operation range.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising selecting the working point within an optimal operation window of the SCeFC as a highly lithiated point to reduce relative expansion of anode material particles during operation.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program embodied therewith, the computer readable program configured to operate a power train of an electric vehicle (EV), The power train comprising a main fast-charging lithium ion module (FC), configured to deliver power to the EV, and a supercapacitor-emulating fast-charging lithium ion module (SCeFC), configured to receive power and to deliver power to the EV and/or to the FC, wherein both the FC and the SCeFC have anodes based on a same anode active material, and wherein the SCeFC is configured to operate at least at a maximal charging rate of 5 C and within an operation range of 5% at most around a working point of between 60-80% lithiation of the anode active material, wherein the computer readable program comprises:

computer readable program configured to operate the SCeFC battery to maintain a state of charge (SoC) of the SCeFC within the operation range around the working point,

computer readable program configured to manage the FC and the SCeFC with respect to power delivery to and from the EV, respectively, and

computer readable program configured to manage power delivery from the SCeFC to the FC and/or to the EV according to specified criteria.