Battery electric vehicle

Abstract

The present invention is related to a battery electric vehicle (100); the vehicle comprises an electric vehicle powertrain system; the powertrain system comprises: a front powertrain (101) comprising: at least one front motor (103) for providing power to one or more front wheels (105) of the vehicle, at least one front energy storage unit (106), for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one front motor (103); a rear powertrain (102) comprising: at least one rear motor (104) for providing power to one or more rear wheels (105) of the vehicle, at least one rear energy storage unit (107), for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one rear motor (104); at least one of the front energy storage unit (106) or rear energy storage unit (107) is a high power density energy storage unit.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Battery electric vehicle

[0003] Field of the invention

[0004] The present invention is related to a battery electric vehicle.

[0005] Backaround art

[0006] Vehicle electrification is here to stay, where the respective vehicle architecture will always depend on powertrain component availability and improvements. A vehicle is defined as something used to transport people and / or goods and / or carry a tool via land, air, and / or water. It is also imaginable that a vehicle is defined as something to be accelerated from the energy stored in fuel that is able to be accelerated using the energy stored in at least one energy storage unit. Traditional vehicles with internal combustion engines are, in general, designed around their combustion engine, hence the internal combustion engine, as major part of the powertrain, was mainly determining the vehicle architecture. The combustion engine to this end provided the sole power source for the vehicle. By igniting fuel, in this case the energy carrier, energy from said ignition is converted into a motion of the piston which eventually caused a drive shaft to provide power via a transmission to, for example, one or more wheels and / or other means to accelerate the vehicle. Typically, either the front or the rear wheels in a ground bound vehicle are powered by the combustion engine. However, there are also examples of vehicle architectures that include a combustion engine where a vehicle is driven at all two, three, four or more wheels. In, for example, a water or air bound vehicle the combustion engine may be powering at least one propellor.

[0007] Typically, such an internal combustion vehicle architecture comprises a combustion engine, a starter motor, a transmission, and possibly, at least one, differential. Over the years, this composition has not changed too drastically. Manufacturers may alter the characteristics of the individual components, however the overall vehicle architecture comprises more or less the same components, irrespective of the type of vehicle that is used. A first step in larger scale electrification was the introduction of the hybrid vehicle, in this hybrid vehicle architecture the combustion engine can be, or is, aided by an electrical motor for which the energy is typically supplied or received by at least one energy storage unit. A hybrid vehicle comprises a small energy storage unit, where it may also be a plug-in hybrid vehicle. The latter typically being different in that it has a plug for electrically charging the at least one energy storage unit via a charging port. The overall hybrid vehicle architecture shares a significant portion with combustion vehicle architectures. Hybrid vehicles, in addition to the components of the combustion vehicles may comprise a small energy storage unit, an inverter, an electric motor, a gearbox, and additional human machine interface. The electric motor may be connected via the gearbox to the wheels, or may be connected to a mechanical coupler, which on its turn is connected to the transmission or gearbox. There are three main architectures, which are a series hybrid, a parallel hybrid and a power-split hybrid architecture. The most common configuration is generally the parallel hybrid configuration. It is also conceivable that a hybrid vehicle is able to regenerate at least a fraction of the energy when the vehicle is decelerating, hence braking. In case the vehicle is an air bound vehicle, the at least one energy storage unit may be connected to a propellor for providing the desired acceleration of the vehicle.

[0008] In the latest developments, the design of full electric vehicles, also referred to as battery electric vehicles, have emerged. These vehicles differentiate from the combustion and hybrid vehicles in that battery electric vehicles are not fitted with a combustion engine. Instead, the battery electric vehicles are provided with an energy storage unit for storing electric energy, and an electric propulsion, such as a motor, which is able to drive directly or indirectly, for example via a gearbox, one or more of the wheels and / or to one or more propellors. In addition, these battery electric vehicles generally comprise an inverter to regulate the power to the electric motor. Such an inverter is able to couple an energy storage unit to the, at least one propulsion source, such as an electric motor. The energy storage unit typically stores Direct Current (DC), whereas the electric motor uses Alternating Currents (AC) as an input, mostly three phases. Despite some of the differences, that is, the lack of a combustion engine. The energy storage unit electric vehicle to date also shares a great deal of the overall vehicle architecture as being powered by a hybrid configuration and / or solely combustion engine. Different from these architectures is that, for example, the friction braking and / or regeneration is completely for reconsideration. Since electric vehicles can recuperate a part of the energy when braking, also referred to as regenerative braking, energy storage unit electric vehicles typically require less usage of the friction brakes. In general, friction brakes transform kinetic energy into heat in order to decelerate the vehicle. The function of the friction brakes in modern battery electric vehicles will continue to change with developments in regeneration that is energy that can be derived during the deceleration of the vehicle. Traditionally, that is internal combustion engine powered, vehicles relied on the friction brakes to decelerate the vehicle, sometimes in cooperation with an engine braking action and / or electromagnetic non-contact brake, to bring the vehicle to a reduced speed and / or complete stop during a demand for vehicle deceleration and / or keep the vehicle at standstill when stationary. In for example water and / or air-bound vehicles deceleration may be based on counterrotating the electric motor and / or increasing or redirecting the fluid and / or air flow. The amount of deceleration and brake accuracy would be dependent upon the condition of the friction brake pads and / or thickness of the brake discs and / or input of the driver on the brake pedal and / or the external and internal vehicle conditions, such as the road and / or water and / or air conditions and / or whether clutch was released to allow also the combustion engine to provide braking and / or the vehicle mass and / or environmental conditions and / or vehicle initial speed and / or slope and / or vehicle cornering and / or powertrain component wear and / or water- or air conditions and / or what redirection of fluid and airflow is considered. In a modern battery electric vehicle today, for example with their energy storage unit placed, in general, in the floor of the vehicle, the friction brake and / or regeneration from the opposite rotational direction and / or or reduced speed and / or altered pitch in case of a propellor is still capable to bring the vehicle to a safe stop in the event regeneration is not present, for example, in case of an energy storage unit fault and / or an external and internal vehicle and / or brake control system situation.

[0009] Current battery electric vehicles are designed such as to have the most efficient acceleration, or energy storage unit discharging, capabilities. The vehicle architecture is therefore aimed towards achieving the highest drive efficiency. However, it is believed that an overall higher vehicle efficiency can be achieved through a redesign of the vehicle architecture of the battery electric vehicles. This, for a dominant part, has to do with the regenerative braking capabilities of current day battery electric vehicles. That is, the kinetic energy of a battery electric vehicle slowing down is quite large, however, the architecture of the battery electric vehicles prohibits to deplete the full potential of the kinetic energy. In other words, costly energy gets lost, for example, in heat generated by the friction brakes, since the powertrain components are limiting the regeneration or the rate of energy storage unit charge. The latter has to do with the aim of the battery electric vehicles to match the driving range of their combustion engine counterparts. Gasoline has a rather high energy density. Therefore, manufactures of battery electric vehicles have designed their energy storage units to be high in energy density. However, this provides some limitations as to the charging and discharging capabilities. Also the powertrain components are usually limited in power capability that are typical for accelerating vehicles, where decelerating vehicles require a higher power capability.

[0010] Summary of the invention

[0011] It is therefore a first goal of the present invention to provide a battery electric vehicle with an alternative vehicle architecture.

[0012] It is a second goal of the present invention to provide a battery electric vehicle with an improved powertrain which may allow for more efficient energy usage.

[0013] The present invention thereto proposes a battery electric vehicle, the vehicle comprising:

[0014] - an electric vehicle powertrain system, said powertrain system comprising o a first powertrain, in particular a front powertrain, comprising:

[0015] ■ optionally, at least one motor, in particular a front motor, for providing power to one or more wheels and / or one or more propellors, in particular front wheels, of the vehicle,

[0016] ■ at least one front energy storage unit, for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one front motor; o a second powertrain, in particular a rear powertrain, comprising:

[0017] ■ optionally at least one motor, in particular a rear motor, for providing power to one or more wheels and / or one or more propellors, in particular rear wheels, of the vehicle,

[0018] ■ at least one rear energy storage unit, for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one rear motor, wherein at least one of the front energy storage unit and / or rear energy storage unit is a high power density energy storage unit.

[0019] It is imaginable that the at least one front motor is also arranged for providing at least a portion of a braking power. Hence, for charging of the at least one front energy storage unit. Similarly, it is conceivable that the at least one rear motor is also arranged for providing at least a portion of a braking power. Hence, for charging of the at least one rear energy storage unit. It is imaginable that the at least one high power density energy storage unit is used for extremely fast charging and provide more slowly its energy to the high energy density energy storage unit. Similarly, it is conceivable that the at least one high power density energy storage unit and high energy density energy storage unit are sharing the charging and / or discharging power and / or energy with due respect of both energy and power charging and discharging limits. Instead of, or in addition to the wheels, it is imaginable that at least one propellor is connected to the motor, such that the motor drives the propellor or the wheel. Where in this application reference is made to the at least one front powertrain, this may also be referred to as the first powertrain. Similarly, the rear powertrain may also be referred to as the second powertrain. Respectively the front and rear motor may be referred to as the first and second motor.

[0020] The present invention may allow to make more efficient usage of the available energy. In particular since at least one of the front energy storage unit and / or rear energy storage unit is a high power density energy storage unit. This may allow for increased recuperation of energy. Especially since vehicle deceleration of a battery electric vehicle involves significant kinetic energy, of which preferably a substantial amount is regenerated, in particular via the front motor and / or rear motor. A deceleration action of a vehicle is generally short, for example, only a few seconds and / or more 10’s of seconds or even minutes depending on the vehicle mass and / or environmental circumstance. Therefore, in order to regenerate this energy, the energy storage may allow for occasionally handling and storing of very large power bursts. Especially if a vehicle is driving at higher speeds, and / or a high mass vehicle is driving at moderate speed, and is required to anticipate on a sudden deceleration of, for example, traffic. It is not uncommon that a vehicle in normal traffic that is, has to decelerate from a cruising speed between 80 km / h to 150 km / h, to a speed between about 0 km / h to 50 km / h and / or an air-bound vehicle has to decelerate from 400km / h to a speed between about 0 km / h to 10 km / h and / or an water-bound vehicle has to decelerate from 10 knots per hour to a speed between about 0 to 5 knots per hour. In such a case a power burst can range from several Watts to even 10,000,000 Watt per wheel or propellor depending on the mass of the vehicle and whether it is a small deceleration, a regular stop, or an emergency stop. Given the fact that a battery electric vehicle is, in general, heavier compared to its combustion counterpart, significant kinetic energy is involved in these power bursts to decelerate the vehicle. In particular since the kinetic energy increases, for example, approximately to the square of the velocity of the vehicle, considering that the mass and friction remains the same. The high power density energy storage unit according to the present invention is, contrary to the typically used high energy density energy storage unit, configured for receiving of high power bursts. Also the electric motor is able to cope with these power bursts that is contradictive to current design that are mainly focussed on accelerating behaviour that typically has lower power bursts, at least compared to the available energy during deceleration (braking). Therefore, the energy storage unit electric vehicle according to the present invention may allow for recuperating a more significant portion of the vehicle deceleration energy. This in turn allows for a more efficient overall vehicle architecture. Where in this application reference is made to braking, or a braking action, this may be understood as the deceleration of a vehicle. It is imaginable that both at least one propellor and / or at least one wheel can be attached to one of the two energy storage units. In particular on connected to a high power density energy storage unit, and one connected to a high energy density energy storage unit. The high power density energy storage unit may be in the range of 0.001 to 5,000 kWh, and is preferably used to quickly provide energy for vehicle acceleration and / or regenerate all available vehicle deceleration energy and at least one high energy density energy storage unit may provide the more average energy to the vehicle, typically 0.1 to 1 ,000,000 kWh depending on the vehicle range and / or mass and / or size and / or more average energy requirement for both vehicle acceleration and deceleration.

[0021] Preferably the front powertrain and the rear powertrain are independent. This may not only allow for a more accurate control of the rear powertrain and the front powertrain. The independence of both front and rear powertrain allows, optionally, to retrofit an existing vehicle with either of the front or rear powertrain according to the invention. Yet further, by having an independent front and rear powertrain, the overall battery electric vehicle may be more reliable. A failure in one of the powertrains does not necessarily disrupt the overall battery electric vehicle which may be a significant advantage. Yet, it also allows the drivetrains to be designed such as to be optimised for the particular purpose. For example, the front motor and front energy storage unit may be specifically targeted on their overall function in the vehicle. Their main function may be to allow for storing maximum regeneration energy and power during braking, that is vehicle deceleration. This may yield a more efficient front powertrain and a more efficient rear powertrain which increases overall vehicle efficiency. Additionally, a more powerful front powertrain and a more energy efficient rear powertrain, or vice versa, which increases overall vehicle range. Yet furthermore, a more energy and power dynamic front powertrain and a less energy and power dynamic rear powertrain to, for example, decrease overall vehicle mass and / or increase vehicle range and / or decrease vehicle cost. Moreover, a fully integrated friction brake and regenerative front powertrain from a first manufacturer and a more standard rear powertrain from a second, different, manufacturer, or vice versa, to, for example, improve vehicle cost. And also, a fully integrated friction brake and regenerative front powertrain which also controls the friction brakes of the rear powertrain from a first manufacturer and a rear powertrain from a second, different, manufacturer to, for example, decrease vehicle cost and / or decrease mass and / or increase performance and / or improve vehicle control and / or to ensure vehicle response during braking. That is, both the front powertrain and rear powertrain being designed independently, achieving the highest optimum for their specific purpose, such as the front powertrain for maximum regeneration and / or short term drive power boosts, and the rear powertrain for optimum efficiency under regular driving conditions.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment the front energy storage unit is a high power density storage. Preferably comprising a High Battery pack Gravimetric Power Density which may be 2,000 to 2,000,000 Wis / kg (Watt per kilogram). Throughout this document, the term Watt per kilogram may also be understood as Watt per second or Watt per second per kilogram. Preferably, the rear energy storage unit is a high energy density storage unit, preferably comprising a High Battery pack Gravimetric Energy Density which may be 100 to 20,000 Wh / kg (Watt hours per kilogram). This is particularly beneficial in terms of power and energy storage capability of the vehicle architecture, for example to increase the range of the vehicle. Mainly since most of the high power braking is until this date typically taken care of by the front friction brakes. The potential amount of energy, in particular a potential energy density, to be regenerated during a braking action of the battery electric vehicle is typically larger at the front side of the vehicle. That is, most of the baking power will generally be allocated to the front brakes, therefore, also most of the regenerative braking power and / or capacity is preferably arranged towards the front motor, also called generator when acting as a regeneration unit. Preferably, the at least one front motor is an electric generator. More preferably the at least one front motor is an electric motor which is designed to be more efficient and / or high more power capability when operating as a generator. This may provide for allowing energy to flow more efficiently from the wheels and / or the propellor to the, at least one, front energy storage unit, in particular to the high power density energy storage unit. In case the front energy storage unit is a high power density energy storage unit, the power regeneration capacity of the front powertrain increases. The front powertrain may be able to regenerate, at least momentarily, a larger amount of the kinetic energy into electric energy during a braking, hence during vehicle deceleration, action. The high power density energy storage unit may be configured both for high charge and discharge rates, in particular for high power charging and high power discharging. Hence, where a high energy density energy storage unit will exceed its power charge limits during regeneration by the motor, the high power density energy storage unit will not reach said power charging limit during a braking action, or at least at a later moment in time. This allows for regenerating, and storing, a larger portion of energy, by regenerating all the available power, which will extend the range of the battery electric vehicle. Not only does the placement of the high power density energy storage unit allow for increased energy regeneration, it also increases the regenerative braking power limit. That is, since the power charging limit is higher, the deceleration that may be achieved by the front motor during regeneration may be larger. This allows the driver to make more use, at least in a wider variety of situations, of the regenerative braking. Particular benefit of the increased efficiency and regenerative braking power is achieved in a duty-cycle which incorporates numerous acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle, for example in urban areas. Mostly since in urban areas the traffic, the larger number of turns, and traffic lights cause more frequent braking actions. Or when the vehicle is a performance and / or racing vehicle, in this the acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle are much more severe compared to standard driving. Since in general the present invention allows to regenerate more energy during each braking action, the benefits add up, contributing to increased energy efficiency, and therefore increased driving range of the battery electric vehicle. Additionally, the high power density energy storage unit allows for improved charging capabilities via a charge connector. This may allow that within a much shorter time using a power and / or energy burst charging energy can be delivered faster to the vehicle, for example instead of the current 250kW charging, charging speed may be up to a 250MW charging burst. High power burst charging, that is up to the mentioned 250MW, may be realized via a charge connection between the charge port and the at least one high power density energy storage unit. At least a portion of the charging power may be directed to the high power density energy storage unit, and another portion to the high energy density energy storage unit. A bigger portion may be allocated to the high power density energy storage unit since this may allow for higher charging power. For example, 100kW may be directed to the high power density energy storage unit, and 4kW may be directed to the high energy density energy storage unit. Other allocations of power may be realized, although it is preferred that a significant portion of the charging power is allocated to the high power density energy storage unit. The high power density energy storage unit may allow for charging from 0 to 100% state of charge. The lower limit may also be 10 percent, or 20, or 30 percent state of charge. The upper limit may similarly be 90, 80, or 70 percent state of charge. The charging connection between the charge port and the high energy density energy storage unit may be realized, preferably via the high power density energy storage unit. Yet, it is also conceivable that at least one energy storage unit comprises one or more capacitors. Said capacitors preferably configured for storing of high power charging bursts and releasing said energy to at least one of the energy storage units. Optionally, at least the front powertrain and / or rear powertrain comprises at least one additional energy storage unit, in particular a charge energy storage unit. Said at least one additional energy storage unit may be configured particularly for extremely high power charge and discharge bursts, that is up to 250MW. Preferably, wherein said additional energy storage unit is connected to at least one of the front and / or rear energy storage unit. This may increase the charging speed of the battery electric vehicle. Yet, this may also allow for an extreme emergency regenerative braking action to extremely decelerate the vehicle for example in 0.4s from receiving the input to decelerate the vehicle from, for example, 100km / h to Okm / h. Preferably, at least one of the energy storage units of the battery electric vehicle is an independent high power density energy storage unit. Moreover, by providing dedicated energy storage units for respectively the front powertrain and the rear powertrain it is possible to have independent regeneration of energy between the front side of the vehicle and the rear side of the vehicle. This may further allow for applying different traction strategies to both the front powertrain and the rear powertrain. The front powertrain, in particular the at least one front energy storage unit may comprise a front battery management system. Similarly the rear powertrain, in particular the at least one rear energy storage unit, may comprise a rear battery management system. Both the at least one front energy storage unit and the at least one rear energy storage unit may comprise a battery management system. In particular the at least one front energy storage unit and the at least one rear energy storage unit may comprise a front battery management system and a rear battery management system respectively. Preferably, said front battery management system and rear battery management system being arranged to essentially exclusively manage the front and rear energy storage unit respectively. The battery management system, in general, is configured for monitoring and controlling an energy storage unit and may also be called the energy storage controller. Preferably the battery management system is placed directly or in close contact with the at least energy storage unit that is to be monitored. The energy storage unit may comprise a plurality of battery strings of series-connected energy storage cells and / or parallel-connected storage cells and / or a combination thereof. Typically in the energy storage string, the weakest energy storage cell limits the total capacity and performance of the energy storage unit. It also reduces the output power and energy as a whole and, over time, this at least one weakest and / or weaker energy storage cell limits the total energy storage capacity that is available in the energy storage unit. Since the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit are not the same, it is may be preferred to have different management, for example balancing, strategies for each of the energy storage units respectively. Otherwise, it may be the case that not all of the potential power and / or energy is retrieved out of the use of different energy storage units. Optionally, the electric powertrain system comprises at least one battery management system, wherein said battery management system is configured for controlling, preferably independently controlling, one or more battery cells of both the at least one front energy storage unit and the at least one rear energy storage unit.

[0023] An operating frequency of the battery management system for the front energy storage unit may be higher, and optionally configured to high power input with less energy capacity, compared to an operating frequency of the battery management system for the rear energy storage unit, said latter operating frequency being lower, and optionally configured for large energy storage with less power input capabilities. This is in particular beneficial for allowing the front powertrain to cope with the higher power bursts. Preferably, the operating frequency of the battery management system for the front energy storage unit is at least twice as high, however more preferably at least 10 times, in particular at least 100 to 10,000 times as fast, compared to the operational frequency of the battery management system of the rear energy storage unit. Here, operating frequency may be understood as the diagnostic and / or data processing and / or communication speed of the battery management system.

[0024] The front energy storage unit may comprise a combination of energy density battery cells and power density battery cells, wherein said battery cells are configured for automatic cell balancing, preferably wherein the entire, or a significant portion of the balancing is performed via the battery cells. Here, energy density battery cells may have a high energy density, whereas power density battery cells may have a high power storage density. The balancing may be of the capacitive type, where (high) power density cells may have an increased capacitive behaviour. Preferably comprising a capacitive behaviour with values between 1 to 10,000,000 Fahrad. Here, a string may comprise at least one, preferably a plurality, of parallel connected high energy battery cells connected in series with another plurality of parallel connected high energy battery cells. Such an arrangement may be augmented by at least a parallel or series connected high power battery cell to utilize the capacitive behaviour of the high power battery cell. Optionally in combination with power electronics components, to provide a certain level of balancing to the high energy battery cells. Preferably, the energy storage unit comprising both high energy and high power battery cells is configured for balancing without, or at least with very little, assistance in passive and / or active balancing from the battery management system. Optionally, said capacitive behaviour of the high power energy storage unit is combined with at least one semiconductor switch, or other power electronics to allow improved and automated cell balancing. Moreover, the capacitive behaviour may also be utilized for other components, such as the inverter.

[0025] According to a particular embodiment, the at least one high power density energy storage unit and the at least one high energy density energy storage unit are arranged in a shared container. Therefore, forming a single battery comprising a plurality of battery cells, comprising at least high power density battery cells and high energy density battery cells. Optionally, comprising a single battery management system. In this embodiment, individual energy storage cell control is preferred. Preferably said single battery may be formed as a reconfigurable energy storage to control and / or to maximize the energy storage at least in terms of energy and / or power that the at least one energy storage pack may deliver. A distributed solution per cell alleviates the amount of cabling between battery management system and energy storage cells, the battery management system usually limits the amount of sensor wires and communication wires by, for example, using module level controllers and by limiting the sensors to a single sensor, for example, voltage sensor on the energy storage cells that are in placed in parallel and / or certain energy storage cells in a series connection. However, this does not yield a solution on energy storage cell level. In case of energy storage module sensoring, each module controller may be more or less self-contained, where the module controller handles the measurements and communications as required by the battery management system at energy storage unit level. The battery management system may also manage and / or reconfigure the energy that may be stored in the energy storage unit and the capacity of the energy storage unit and / or module and / or cell to allow regeneration and / or energy to accelerate or decelerate the battery electric vehicle. This may allow for dynamic energy storage unit. It is conceivable the reconfigurable energy storage unit comprises the high power density cell be placed in between two high energy density cells, which may for internal balancing in the single battery. Optionally, additional passive and / or active electronic device may be provided to allow for balancing of all cells that are present within the single battery. Furthermore, such a combination of at least one high energy density and high power density energy storage cell would ultimately improve the operation lifespan as the stress due to the high power burst would be taken by the high power density cells. Of course also an efficiency balance should be sought after when combining the high power density energy cells and the high energy density energy cells. Therefore, the same benefit may be achieved when using a single battery with different cells, as described in relation to the high power density energy storage unit and high energy density energy storage unit described above. The at least one reconfigurable energy storage unit may integrate power electronics into the energy storage unit. Optionally, the reconfigurable energy storage unit may share the short-term electrical storage that is usually present in the form of capacitors. The reconfigurable energy storage may also use the power electronic semiconductor switches to mutually disconnect and connect individual energy storage cells. The reconfigurable energy storage module may be a combination of power electronics in a DC-DC converter configuration that allows two different voltage potential to be connected via said DC-DC converter configuration. The total energy storage unit voltage, also called DC-link voltage of the energy storage is determined by the number of series-connected energy storage cells and / or modules. The reconfigurable energy storage may be integrated into existing conventional battery electric vehicle powertrains. For example, one or more 3-phase, at least single level, inverter may be used, for example also a 3-phase two- level inverter. The inverter may regulate power via for example the voltage, and / or the current, and / or the voltage and or current waveshape and / or voltage and current relative angle and / or the current and voltage frequency. For example, the two level inverter in general requires quite large inductive and / or capacitive and / or a combination characteristics of the incorporated filters at the alternative current output side of the inverter to achieve a suitable electromagnetic compatibility that would suit the current and future automotive standards. Using the filtering capability of both the high energy and / or high power energy storage will be beneficial to minimize the filter size and hence cost and / or increase energy efficiency.

[0026] The front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit may each be accommodated in a single energy storage housing. This may reduce the total weight of the battery electric vehicle since a shared housing may additionally reduce the need for designing two separate containers for the respective energy storage units. The energy storage housing may comprise at least two internal compartments, each for accommodating of at least one energy storage unit. As such, it may still be provided that two separate energy storage units are arranged, preferably independently from one another. The at least two internal compartments may be electrically separated and / or insulated and / or shielded from one another. This is particularly beneficial in order to prevent electromagnetic interference from disturbing the battery storage units mutually. In particular, since the high power density energy storage unit of the battery management system thereof may be operating at different operating speeds, there is a potential problem which may cause one energy storage unit to disturb the functioning of the other. This may be eliminated by providing electrical separation and / or insulation and / or shielding from one another.

[0027] According to a preferred embodiment the battery electric vehicle comprises at least one battery interface, said battery interface communicatively connected to both the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit. The battery interface may be communicatively connected to a batter management system of the high power density energy storage unit and high energy density energy storage unit respectively. Since the different energy storage unit behave differently, different communication may be preferred. That is, where a battery according to the prior art comprises typically a single battery, which as a rule is a high energy density battery, there is only a single communication line within the vehicle architecture. However, by the introduction of second, different, energy storage unit in the front and rear powertrain respectively, the data rate is significantly increased. Not only is the data rate increased, also the number of entities to be communicated with increases. That is, various components communicate with the energy storage unit in order to perform control and / or other actions. By increasing the entities, also decision making gets more complicated. Therefore, the battery interface may allow various components of the battery electric vehicle to communicate via a single entity, such as the battery interface, with both the front and the rear energy storage unit. It is imaginable that said battery interface is communicatively connected to each of the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit via at least one CAN-bus. Moreover, the battery interface may further be communicatively connected to one or more components of the battery electric vehicle, preferably via at least one CAN-bus, in particular the same CAN-bus and / or alternative for the CAN-bus, including wireless CAN and / or Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) and / or FlexRay and / or Automotive Ethernet and / or EtherCAT and / or Fast Serial Interface and / or Time Sensitive Network and / or Transmission Control Protocol I internet protocol (TCP / IP) and / or Isolated Serial Peripheral Interface (ISO ISP).

[0028] The battery electric vehicle, further, may comprise a vehicle control unit for controlling of the vehicle powertrain system based at least partially on data received from the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit. Controlling of the vehicle powertrain system by the vehicle control unit may be understood as the control unit to regulate for example powers directed from and to the front motor and rear motor. For example, based on one or more vehicle status parameters and / or based on one more environmental status parameters. Hence, also including traction control based on current wheel and / or propellor speeds and vehicle speeds, such as to prevent wheels and / or propellor from, partly, spinning without providing acceleration as in deceleration. In the case of deceleration, traction control may be referred to as an anti-lock braking system control. In particular arranged to prevent the wheels from blocking. Preferably, the battery interface is configured for communicating a combined data-message to the vehicle control unit. Said combined data-message preferably comprises information associated to a status and / or parameter of at least one, preferably each of the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storge unit. In particular wherein the data rate towards the at least one battery interface exceeds the data rate away from the at least one battery interface. This may allow for the control unit to regulate (electric) powers to be directed towards or away from the front or rear energy storage units based on a reduced data rage communication. Since the message communicated by the battery interface may be a combined data- message, not content is lost in the communication. That is, the combined data- message comprises information related to both energy storage units, hence not limiting the vehicle control unit from making accurate control decisions taking into account a status of each of the energy storage units. For example, the combined data-message may comprise information related to a state of charge and / or state of power and / or state of function and / or state of energy and / or state of health and / or state of capacity and / or state of resistance and / or state of contactors and / or state of control and / or state of cell, module or back balancing and / or state of Remaining Useful Life (RUL) estimation and / or state of temperature and / or state of HV Isolation and / or state with respect to the operational limits and diagnostics of each of the energy storage units. However, instead of receiving two, independent, messages from the energy storage units respectively, it is more efficient to arrange communication via the battery interface, which combines the messages in a single message comprising all the required information.

[0029] Preferably, at least the front powertrain comprises at least one front energy management system. The front energy management system may be a hardware device, or may be integrated with a vehicle control unit as a task of the vehicle control unit. The front energy management system may be communicatively connected to a vehicle control unit. Preferably, communicatively connected may also be understood as being an integrated part of the vehicle control unit and being performed as a task by said control unit based on information obtained by the vehicle control unit. The vehicle control unit and the battery interface are communicatively connected via at least one CAN-bus and / or wireless CAN and / or Media Oriented System Transport (MOST) and / or FlexRay and / or Automotive Ethernet and / or EtherCAT and / or Fast Serial Interface and / or Time Sensitive Network and / or Transmission Control Protocol I internet protocol (TCP / IP) and / or Isolated Serial Peripheral Interface (ISO ISP). The vehicle may comprise at least one redundant communication bus between a battery interface and a vehicle control unit. This may allow internal information related to one of the front and / or rear energy storage units to be redundant to the vehicle control unit. In particular such internal information may be information may be part of the information from the battery management system.

[0030] The vehicle control unit may be configured for independently controlling the front powertrain and the rear powertrain. This may allow for improved control compared to conventional battery electric vehicles. That is, where known battery electric vehicles share a single energy storage unit, at least a single energy storage unit with a single type of energy cells, all components receive power from said energy storage unit. However, the present invention provides increased flexibility in that the front and rear powertrain may be independent, that is, each having their own electric energy source. This may allow different control strategies to be applied which otherwise were not possible. In particular due to the fact that one of the energy storage units is a high power density energy storage unit. Independent control allows optimal operating conditions for both powertrains which may further contribute to the vehicle efficiency and / or range and / or performance.

[0031] The vehicle control unit may be configured for:

[0032] - allocating a primary portion of a braking demand to the front motor, and

[0033] - if the braking power demand is larger than an available braking power, allocating a secondary portion of a braking demand to the rear motor.

[0034] By allocating the braking demand primarily to the front motor, a better brake balance and hence better deceleration may be achieved. More importantly, if the front energy storage unit is the high power density energy source also more kinetic energy may be regenerated into usable electric energy. It is also conceivable that the primary portion is allocated to the rear motor. The latter is in particular the case if the rear energy storage unit is the high power density energy storage unit. Preferably, the control unit allows for maximizing the portion of the braking demand towards the motor connected to the high power density energy storage unit. The vehicle control unit may further be configured for delivering an increased maximum power to the at least one front motor for a limited time for allowing a high power density energy storage unit to discharge. Preferably, said increased maximum power may be delivered via the high power density energy storage unit. Here, increased maximum power may also be referred to as boost, or the like.

[0035] The vehicle control unit may be configured for primarily discharging the at least one high power storage unit if a state of charge of said high power density energy storage unit exceeds a predetermined state of charge, and discharging the high energy density storage unit if the state of charge of the high power density energy storage unit is below the predetermined state of charge. This may be preferred such that the high power density energy storage unit is available for receiving regenerative energy for most of the time. That is particularly since the high power density energy storage unit is more suitable for receiving a larger amount of energy to be regenerated as explained before. The high power density energy storage unit preferably has a lower total energy storage capacity compared to the high energy density energy storage unit.

[0036] Preferably, the vehicle control unit is further configured to primarily discharge said at least one high power density energy storage unit based on one or more vehicle status parameters. In particular based on a current throttle request. That is, said high power density energy storage unit may provide a boost in power which may contribute to the acceleration of the vehicle, therefore, discharging said high power density storage unit is preferably initiated only if a throttle request exceeds a predetermined throttle request. This may prevent undesired higher acceleration of the battery electric vehicle.

[0037] The front powertrain may comprise at least one rectifier, wherein said rectifier is configured for converting an Alternating Current (AC) of the front motor into a Direct Current (DC) for storage in the at least one front energy storage unit. Preferably, the front powertrain comprises at least one inverter, wherein said inverter is configured for converting a Direct Current of the front energy storage unit into an Alternating Current for the front motor, and / or an Alternating Current of the front motor into a Direct Current for storage in the at least one front energy storage unit. More preferably, the front powertrain comprises both a converter and a rectifier. Said rectifier is preferably used for the regenerative domain. Since rectifiers may be designed more efficient it is preferred to use the rectifier for regeneration since this may allow to regenerate more of the available kinetic energy. However, a rectifier can typically not be used for providing power to the front motor due to the nature of a rectifier. It is conceivable that the rear powertrain comprises at least one inverter, wherein said inverter is configured for converting a Direct Current of the rear energy storage unit into an Alternating Current for the rear motor, and / or an Alternating Current of the rear motor into a Direct Current for storage in the at least one rear energy storage unit. At least a portion of a power supply, preferably the entire power supply, of at least one converter may at least partially be, preferably entirely, received from at least one energy storage unit. This may reduce the cost of the inverter. Furthermore, the weight of the battery electric vehicle may be reduced since the inverter does not require its own energy storage. The inverter may be receiving power via at least one DC / DC converter. An inverter may typically use one or more capacitors to smooth an output voltage. This is important because the output of an inverter is used for powering electronic equipment, which require a stable power input to prevent them from being damaged and functioning according to spec. Additionally, the use of capacitors can help to reduce the harmonic distortion of the output, which may improve the overall power quality of the inverter. It is conceivable that the inverter according to the present invention is free of a capacitor, or merely a very small capacitor. This is beneficial since capacitors tend to reduce the lifetime of the inverter. Preferably, the capacitive behaviour of the capacitor is replaced by an alternative capacitive entity. It is conceivable that the capacitive behaviour of at least one energy storage unit provides is used as capacitive entity for the inverter. This may be applied in both the front powertrain and / or the rear powertrain. For example, by providing one battery cell in parallel to at least one energy storage unit. Which, as described in this application, not only provides for reduction in balancing, but may simultaneously function as the capacitive function of the inverter.

[0038] Optionally, the high power density energy storage unit is configured for storing a power burst in the range of 0.5 MW - 5.0 MW. The high power density energy storage unit may have a relatively high capacitance and low internal resistance. For example between 1C to 2,000C. As an example, 1C may be a current of 3A between a state- of-charge of the at least one energy storage device of 0% and 80% followed by a constant voltage from 80% state-of-charge and 100% state-of-charge. The 2,000C in this case would be a current from the energy storage cell of 6,000A. The high power density energy storage unit may comprise a Gravimetric Power Density of about 2,000 Watt per kilogram to 2,000,000 Watt per kilogram. The lower end point may also be chosen from the list of: 2,000, 5,000, 10,000, or 50,000. The upper end may also be chosen from the list of: 2,000,000, 1 ,000,000, 750,000, or 500,000. The high energy density energy storage unit may have a Gravimetric Energy Density of about 100 Watt hours per kilogram to 20,000 Watt hours per kilogram. The lower end point may also be chosen from the list of: 50, 100, 500, or 1 ,000. The upper end point may also be chosen from the list of: 20,000, 15,000, 10,000, or 7,500.

[0039] Optionally, a high voltage rail of the front powertrain and a high voltage rail of the rear power train are connected via a DC-DC converter. This may be beneficial to allow the high power density energy storage unit to charge the high energy density energy storage unit, or vice versa. This provides further flexibilities in the particular usage of the energy stored in the high power density energy storage unit. Hence, in the case a current vehicle status prevents the direct use of energy from the high power density energy storage unit, it may be utilized for charging the high energy density energy storage unit instead. Hence, still allowing to primarily discharge said high power density energy storage unit in order for it to be available to be charged for an upcoming regeneration boost.

[0040] According to a preferred embodiment, the battery electric vehicle of the invention further comprises:

[0041] - a vehicle control unit for independently controlling the front powertrain and the rear powertrain based at least partially on data received from the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit;

[0042] - at least one battery interface, said battery interface being communicatively connected to both the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storage unit , and said battery interface being communicatively connected to the vehicle control unit for communicating a combined data-message to the vehicle control unit ; said combined data-message comprises information associated to a status and / or parameter of each of the front energy storage unit and the rear energy storge unit .

[0043] According to a further embodiment, the front powertrain and the rear powertrain of the battery electric vehicle are structurally separated from each other. According to a further embodiment, the electric powertrain system of the battery electric vehicle comprises at least one battery management system, wherein said battery management system is directly connected to both the at least one front energy storage unit and the at least one rear energy storage unit and configured for controlling one or more battery cells of both the at least one front energy storage unit and the at least one rear energy storage unit .

[0044] The vehicle according to the present invention may be a two wheeled vehicle, such as a motor, scooter, or even a bicycle, or the like. The vehicle may also be a car, or van, or a truck, or a bus. Yet, it may be conceivable that the vehicle is a taxiing airplane or drone.

[0045] The present invention is further related to a font powertrain for use in a battery electric vehicle, in particular according to the present invention, comprising;

[0046] - at least one front motor for providing power to one or more front wheels of the vehicle,

[0047] - at least one front energy storage unit, for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one front motor, wherein the at least one front energy storage unit is a high power density energy storage unit. It is conceivable that the front powertrain according to the present invention comprises additional technical features disclosed in relation to the battery electric vehicle according to the present invention.

[0048] Brief description of the drawings

[0049] The present invention will hereinafter be further elucidated based on the following non-limitative figures, wherein:

[0050] - figure 1 shows a non-limitative schematic embodiment of a vehicle architecture for a battery electric vehicle according to the present invention;

[0051] - figure 2 shows a second schematic overview of a part of a battery electric vehicle according to the present invention.

[0052] - Similar or equivalent elements in the aforesaid figures are indicated by the same reference numerals. Detailed description

[0053] Figure 1 shows a battery electric vehicle 100 according to a non-limitative embodiment of the present invention. For illustrative purposes, the vehicle 100 is schematically drawn, without a vehicle body. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the depicted embodiment. The vehicle 100 shown in this figure comprises a front powertrain 101 and a rear powertrain 102, which are mutually separated, preferably independent. The front powertrain 101 comprises a front motor 103 which is, directly or indirectly, configured for driving one or more wheels 105, in particular front wheels 105. The front motor 103 may receive power from at least one front energy storage unit 106, for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one front motor 103. Respectively, the rear powertrain 102 of the vehicle 100 comprises a rear motor 104, for driving of one or more wheels 105, in particular rear wheels 105 of the vehicle 100. The rear motor may receive power from at least one rear energy storage unit 107. The front motor 103 and the rear motor 104 each comprise a respective front inverter 110 and rear inverter 111. Said front and rear inverter 110, 111 allow for converting direct current from the respective front energy storage unit 106 or rear energy storage unit 107 into an alternating current for powering the respective front and rear motor 103, 104. The front energy storage unit 106 may be a high power density energy storage unit 106. Said high power density energy storage unit 106 may allow for receiving or delivering increased power bursts compared to a high energy density energy storage unit 107.

[0054] By designing the vehicle 100 such that the front energy storage unit 106 is of the high power density type, a more significant amount of kinetic energy can be regenerated during a brake action of the vehicle 100. The brake action may, for example, be initiated by means of a brake by wire system 112 with reference to front powertrain 101 and by means of a further brake by wire system 113 with reference to rear powertrain 102. The front and rear energy storage units 106, 107 may comprise a plurality of energy storage cells (not shown). In order to manage said cells the front and rear energy storage unit 106, 107 are each provided with a respective front and rear battery management system 108, 109. The battery management systems 108, 109 maintain the voltage levels, charge levels, and discharge levels within the prescribed boundaries in order to prevent problems within the energy storage units 106, 107. Although in this figure it is depicted that the front and the rear energy storage unit 106, 107 are physically separated, it is conceivable that both the front energy storage unit 106 and the rear energy storage unit 107 are arranged in a shared container. However, in the latter example, it is preferred that both front energy storage unit 106 and rear energy storage unit 107 comprise their own respective battery management system 108, 109. The front powertrain 101 may further comprise a front energy management system 114. Said front energy management system 114 may allow for controlling of power flows between the respective front motor 103 and the front energy storage unit 106.

[0055] The vehicle 100 further comprises a vehicle control unit 115. The vehicle control unit 115 is preferably configured for controlling of the vehicle powertrain system based at least partially on data received from the front energy storage unit 106 and the rear energy storage unit 107. Controlling of the vehicle powertrain system, which may be formed by the front powertrain 101 and the rear powertrain 102, by the vehicle control unit 115 may be understood as the control unit 115 to regulate e.g., powers directed from and to the front motor 103 and rear motor 104. For example, based on one or more vehicle status parameters and / or based on one more environmental status parameters. Hence, also including traction control based on current wheel speeds and vehicle speeds, such as to prevent wheels from spinning.

[0056] Figure 2 shows a portion of the vehicle 100 according to a non-limitative embodiment of the present invention. The battery electric vehicle 100 of the invention comprises at least one battery interface 116. Here, the front energy storage unit 106 and the rear energy storage unit 107 are each communicatively connected to a battery interface 116. That is, due to the presence of a front energy storage unit 106 and a rear energy storage unit 107 the amount of communication to a vehicle control unit 115 may double in data rate. Moreover, both front 106 and rear 107 energy storage units may communicate at mutually different data-rates, making the communication rather complex. Also, it requires the control unit 115 to have a substantially larger capacity in order to process the data from the front and rear energy storage unit 106, 107. To this end, the battery interface 116 allows for communicating a combined data-message towards the control unit 115. Said combined data-message may comprise data based on both the front and the rear energy storage unit 106, 107. It is imaginable that both the front energy storage unit 106 and the rear energy storage unit 107 are communicatively connected to said battery interface 116 via respective one or more front CAN-bus 118 or rear CAN-bus 119 communication lines. The battery interface 116 is configured to convert the received information related to status of both front energy storage unit 106 and rear energy storage unit 107 towards the vehicle control unit 115.

[0057] Additionally, the battery interface 116 may be further communicatively connected to a further energy management system 117, which may fulfil a similar function to the energy management system 114 as described in figure 1. It is also conceivable that the further energy management system 117 forms an integrated part of the battery interface 116, which may allow for more efficient packaging of the vehicle.

[0058] The above-described inventive concepts are illustrated by several illustrative embodiments. It is conceivable that individual inventive concepts, including inventive details, may be applied without, in so doing, also applying other details of the described embodiments. It is not necessary to elaborate on examples of all conceivable combinations of the above-described inventive concepts, as a person skilled in the art will understand numerous inventive concepts can be (re)combined in order to arrive at a specific application and / or alternative embodiment.

[0059] The ordinal numbers used in this document, like “first”, “second”, and “third” are used only for identification purposes. Hence, the use of expressions like a “second” component, does therefore not necessarily require the co-presence of a “first” component. By "complementary" components is meant that these components are configured to co-act with each other. However, to this end, these components do not necessarily have to have complementary forms. The verb “comprise” and conjugations thereof used in this patent publication are understood to mean not only “comprise”, but are also understood to mean the phrases “contain”, “substantially consist of”, “formed by” and conjugations thereof.

Claims

Claims1. A battery electric vehicle (100), the vehicle comprising:- an electric vehicle powertrain system, said powertrain system comprising: o a front powertrain (101 ) comprising:■ at least one front motor (103) for providing power to one or more front wheels (105) of the vehicle,■ at least one front energy storage unit (106), for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one front motor(103); o a rear powertrain (102) comprising:■ at least one rear motor (104) for providing power to one or more rear wheels (105) of the vehicle,■ at least one rear energy storage unit (107), for storing of electric energy for powering the at least one rear motor(104), wherein at least one of the front energy storage unit (106) or rear energy storage unit (107)is a high power density energy storage unit.

2. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle further comprises:- a vehicle control unit (115) for independently controlling the front powertrain (101 ) and the rear powertrain (102) based at least partially on data received from the front energy storage unit (106) and the rear energy storage unit (107);- at least one battery interface (116), said battery interface (116) being communicatively connected to both the front energy storage unit (106) and the rear energy storage unit (107), said battery interface (116) being communicatively connected to the vehicle control unit (115) for communicating a combined data-message to the vehicle control unit (115), wherein said combined data-message comprises information associated to a status and / or parameter of each of the front energy storage unit (106) and the rear energy storge unit (107).

3. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 1 , wherein the front powertrain (101 ) and the rear powertrain (102) are independent and / or structurally separated from each other.

4. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the front energy storage unit (106) is a high power density energy storage, and wherein the rear energy storage unit (107) is a high energy density energy storage unit.

5. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein both the front powertrain (101 ), in particular the at least one front energy storage unit (106), and the rear powertrain (102), in particular the at least one rear energy storage unit (107), comprise a front battery management system (108) and a rear battery management system (109), respectively.

6. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 1 , wherein the electric powertrain system comprises one battery management system, wherein said battery management system is directly connected to both the at least one front energy storage unit (106) and the at least one rear energy storage unit (107) and configured for controlling one or more battery cells of both the at least one front energy storage unit (106) and the at least one rear energy storage unit (107).

7. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 5, wherein an operating frequency of the battery management system (108) for the front energy storage unit (106) is higher, and optionally configured to high power input with less energy capacity, compared to a frequency of the battery management system (109) for the rear energy storage unit (107), said latter operating frequency being lower, and optionally configured for large energy storage with less power input capabilities.

8. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle (100) comprises at least one battery interface (116), said battery interface (116) is communicatively connected to each ofthe front energy storage unit (106) and the rear energy storage unit (107) via at least one communication bus.

9. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle (100) comprises at least one battery interface (116), wherein the data rate towards the at least one battery interface (116) exceeds the data rate away from the at least one battery interface (116).

10. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein at least the front powertrain (101 ) comprises at least one front energy management system (114).

11. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 10, wherein the front energy management system (114) is communicatively connected to the vehicle control unit (115).

12. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle (100) comprises at least one battery interface (116), wherein the vehicle control unit (115) and the battery interface (116) are communicatively connected via at least one communication bus.

13. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle comprises at least one redundant communication bus between the battery interface (116) and the vehicle control unit (115).

14. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 2, wherein the vehicle control unit (115) is configured for:- allocating a primary portion of a braking demand to the front motor (103), and- if the braking power demand is larger than an available braking power, allocating a secondary portion of a braking demand to the rear motor (104).

15. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 2 or 14, wherein the vehicle control unit (115) is configured for delivering an increased maximum powerto the at least one front motor (103) for a limited time for allowing a high power density energy storage unit to discharge and / or charge.

16. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to one of claims 2, 14-15, wherein the vehicle control unit (115) is configured for primarily discharging the at least one high power storage unit if a state of charge of said high power density energy storage unit exceeds a predetermined state of charge, and discharging the high energy density storage unit if the state of charge of the high power density energy storage unit is below the predetermined state of charge.

17. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the front powertrain (101) comprises at least one rectifier, wherein said rectifier is configured for converting an Alternating Current of the front motor (103) into a Direct Current for storage in the at least one front energy storage unit (106).

18. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the front powertrain (101) comprises at least one inverter (110), wherein said inverter is configured for converting a Direct Current of the front energy storage unit (106) into an Alternating Current for the front motor(103), and / or an Alternating Current of the front motor (103) into a Direct Current for storage in the at least one front energy storage unit (106).

19. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the rear powertrain (102) comprises at least one inverter (111 ), wherein said inverter is configured for converting a Direct Current of the rear energy storage unit (107) into an Alternating Current for the rear motor(104), and / or an Alternating Current of the rear motor (104) into a Direct Current for storage in the at least one rear energy storage unit (107).

20. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the high power density energy storage unit is configured for storing a power burst in the range of 2,000 Watt - 2,000,000 Watt per kilogram.21 . Battery electric vehicle (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the front energy storage unit (106) and the rear energy storage unit (107) are each accommodated in a single energy storage housing.

22. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 21 , wherein the energy storage housing comprises at least two internal compartments, each for accommodating of at least one energy storage unit.

23. Battery electric vehicle (100) according to claim 22, wherein the at least two internal compartments are electrically separated and / or insulated and / or shielded from one another.

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