A Lithium-Ion Battery Fast Charging Algorithm Based on Electrochemical Model: Experimental Results

Abstract

Lithium-Ion batteries have become the principal battery technology for EVs to date. However, one of the principal factors limiting the widespread usage of the EVs is the length of charging times for the lithium-ion battery packs. The appropriate charging algorithm is critical to shorten the battery charging times while keeping the battery safe. In our earlier work, we proposed a novel optimal strategy for charging the lithium-ion battery based on electrochemical battery model using A performance index that aimed at achieving a faster charging rate while maintaining safe limits for various battery parameters. A more realistic model, based on battery electro-chemistry has been used for the design of the optimal charging algorithm as opposed to the conventional equivalent circuit models. Simulation results showed that the proposed optimal charging algorithm is capable of shortening the charging time of a lithium-ion cell by as much as 30% when compared with the standard constant current charging. Here we present the results from a number of experiments using Lithium-Ion cylindrical cells that were charged using the proposed algorithm and compared the charging times with the standard constant current-constant voltage (CC-CV) charging algorithms. A Maccor Series 4300 battery testing system was used to carry out the experiments. The experimental results showed that the proposed algorithm offered shorter charging times by up to 16% when compared to the CC-CV charging algorithms under the same battery initial conditions such as SOC and temperature of the cells.