Fleet Battery Preconditioning System for Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial fleet vehicles face inefficiencies in high power charging due to battery temperature requirements, leading to extended charging sessions and downtime, as existing solutions lack automation and coordination in managing battery preconditioning for optimal charging.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle battery preconditioning system and method that centrally gathers and orchestrates state-of-charge, temperature, and health information to automate the preconditioning and charging process, optimizing sequencing and timing based on individual vehicle needs and grid conditions, minimizing electricity costs and grid impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If high power charging is applied to batteries at non-optimal temperatures, then charging speed is improved, but battery health deteriorates and charging efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary battery temperature conditioning before initiating high power charging. The battery management system monitors temperature and pre-heats or pre-cools the battery to optimal charging temperature ranges, ensuring the battery is ready to receive high power charge without thermal stress, thus maintaining both charging speed and battery health
2Productivity
If battery preconditioning is performed before charging, then charging efficiency is improved, but total charging time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs battery preconditioning and charging in continuous sequence without idle time between operations. The battery management system seamlessly transitions from temperature conditioning to high power charging, eliminating waiting time and ensuring the battery remains in optimal condition throughout the entire process, thus improving overall productivity without significant time penalty
3Productivity
If multiple fleet vehicles are charged simultaneously at high power, then fleet productivity is improved, but grid stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic charging cycles for fleet vehicles, staggering the charging start times of multiple vehicles rather than charging all simultaneously. The fleet management system coordinates charging schedules to distribute load on the grid, maintaining fleet productivity by ensuring vehicles are charged within required timeframes while preventing grid instability through load management
4Loss of energy
If charging is delayed to off-peak hours, then electricity cost is reduced, but vehicle availability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary battery preconditioning during off-peak charging hours when electricity costs are lower. By pre-conditioning the battery temperature before high power charging begins, the system enables faster charging that can be completed during periods of higher vehicle availability, thus reducing overall electricity costs without significantly impacting vehicle availability
Data Source
AI summary
An automated vehicle battery preconditioning system and method that receive battery state-of-charge and battery preconditioning time information from a vehicle battery management system of each of a plurality of vehicles and battery charging time and charging power information from a battery charger management system and, based on the information, generate a battery charging schedule and a battery preconditioning schedule for the plurality of vehicles; direct the battery charger management system to charge a battery of each of the plurality of vehicles according to the battery charging schedule; and direct the vehicle battery management system of each of the plurality of vehicles to precondition the associated battery according to the battery preconditioning schedule. The vehicle battery preconditioning system and method further receive power grid schedule and cost information and, based on the information, generate the battery charging schedule and the battery preconditioning schedule for the plurality of vehicles.