Session A5
Paper 6262
Disclaimer — This paper partially fulfills a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at the University
of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering. This paper is a student, not a professional, paper. This paper is based on
publicly available information and may not be provide complete analyses of all relevant data. If this paper is used for any
purpose other than these authors’ partial fulfillment of a writing requirement for first year (freshman) engineering students at
the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering, the user does so at his or her own risk.
AN ANALYSIS OF THE FUTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF LITHIUM ION
BATTERIES IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Luke Javersack, ljj18@pitt.edu, 10:00 Sanchez, Stephanie DeSimone, sld85@pitt.edu, 10:00 Sanchez
Revised Proposal — Electric cars are a technological
phenomenon that has captured the attention of researchers
and consumers alike in recent years. Though the technology
is in its infancy, new advancements are being made every
day. In particular, the problems that exist in relation to the
fuel cells and batteries have been a hot topic [1]. The major
problem with developing the new technologies is designing a
battery that is capable of achieving longer traveling distances
while maintaining the car’s safety [2]. Engineers have been
discovering new technologies in batteries that are capable of
advancing multiple fields in search of the perfect battery [3].
One very promising potential battery technology is Lithiumion batteries. Since so much new information is being learned
about the functions of batteries, many engineers find it
extremely valuable to invest in these studies.
Most electric cars in production today rely on lithium ion
batteries for power. These batteries are easily rechargeable
and capable of holding large amounts of energy. However,
these lithium ion batteries have numerous constraints, such as
overheating, which raises a safety concern [4]. Due to those
concerns, some researches have shifted their focus to
designing new batteries while others work to improve lithium
ion [1]. New types of battery technology include solid state,
aluminum-ion, lithium-sulfur, and metal-air (metals such as
lithium, aluminum, zinc and sodium) batteries that all have
different advantages and weaknesses [5]. However,
continuing to invest in lithium ion batteries is a good idea
because they are easily created and do not require expensive
processes to make [6]. New technologies are making this
inexpensive process even more productive because
researchers are developing new methods for cooling the
engine and harnessing its power [7]. Also, they are the most
common type of electric battery in production today and a lot
is known about how they work in comparison to the competing
types of batteries.
The advances in batteries have many benefits in thousands
of fields that directly affect people. These technologies are
capable of running faster while maintaining energy efficiency.
Due to the fact that electric vehicles do not have bulky engines
or large fuel tanks, there is more space for storage. Advances
in lithium ion batteries allow the battery to be thinner and
more flexible. This allows companies to place the battery in a
more optimal place. For example, Tesla places their battery
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering 1
2016/1/29
along the bottom of the car to maximize storage and weight
distribution [8]. Advantages such at these are the reason that
continuing research in lithium ion batteries is important. In
continuing this paper, new technologies are being discovered
so we will be consulting these new advances on a constant
basis. News articles and new scientific studies will be an
essential part of our research. We will also be trying to find
new graphs and visual representation to further our
understanding.
REFERENCES
[1] Bayindir. (2014). “Energy Conservation and
Management”.
Science
Direct.
[online].
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019689041
0004309
[2] Ali. (2005). “Hybrid Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicular
Power System Architectures and Configurations”.
IEEExplore.
[online].
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/icp.jsp?arnumber=1433222
[3] Sovacool. (2008). “Energy Policy”. Science Direct.
[online].
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030142150
8005934
[4] Kurmaev. (2015). “Maintaining the required temperature
of high-voltage batteries in electric cars and hybrid vehicles”.
SpringerLink.
[online].
http://link.springer.com/article/10.3103%2FS1068798X1509
0117
[5] Karsten. (2015). “Five Emerging Battery Technologies for
Electric
Vehicles”.
Brookings.
[online].
http://brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2015/09/15-fiveemerging-battery-technologies
[6] Claus. (2015). “Materials and Processing for Lithium-ion
Batteries”.
TMS.
[online].
http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/jom/0809/daniel-0809.html
[7] Cordoba-Arenas. (2014). “A control-oriented lithium-ion
battery pack model for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle cyclelife studies and system design with consideration of health
management”
[onlne].
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877531
402076X
Luke Javersack
Stephanie DeSimone
[8]
Tesla
Motors.
https://www.teslamotors.com/
(2016).
Karsten. (2015). “Five Emerging Battery Technologies for
Electric
Vehicles”.
Brookings.
[online].
http://brookings.edu/blogs/techtank/posts/2015/09/15-fiveemerging-battery-technologies
This newspaper article posted on Brookings’ website
outlines the five major emerging battery types that are being
implemented into today’s technology. The article discusses the
advantages and disadvantages of each battery type. We will
use this article to compare and contrast the efficiency of
lithium ion batteries to other types. This information will allow
for a clearer picture to exist of the usefulness of lithium ion
batteries.
[webpage].
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ali. (2005). “Hybrid Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicular Power
System Architectures and Configurations”. IEEExplore.
[online].
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/icp.jsp?arnumber=1433222
This scholarly descriptive article was written by a team of
electrical and mechanical engineers to compare the efficiency
of combustion engines and battery powered vehicles. It gives
an overview of the faults in combustion engines and how
electric vehicles can improve upon it. We plan on using this
information in the article to discuss the advantages of electric
cars in general.
Kurmaev. (2015). “Maintaining the required temperature of
high-voltage batteries in electric cars and hybrid vehicles”.
SpringerLink.
[online].
http://link.springer.com/article/10.3103%2FS1068798X1509
0117
This academic article was written by a team of Russian
engineers to explain the safety concerns of electrically
powered vehicles. The main topic discussed talks about how
temperature can effect these high voltage batteries in negative
ways. We are going to use this article to analyze the effect of
overheating on the effectiveness and the longevity of lithium
ion batteries.
Bayindir. (2014). “Energy Conservation and Management”.
Science
Direct.
[online].
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019689041
0004309
This paper was written by the Department of Electrical and
Electronics Engineering at Çukurova University to describe
the design of a powertrain while incorporating the electric
battery. With many graphics and descriptive paragraphs, they
discuss the intricacies of an electric engine and the
implications of different designs. This paper will help us
explain the overall design of electric cars and their engines.
Sovacool. (2008). “Energy Policy”. Science Direct. [online].
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030142150
8005934
This scholarly paper was written by the Energy Governance
Program at the National University of Singapore to analyze the
advantages of electric vehicles and using batteries instead of
combustion engines. Also, the paper discusses the social
barriers to the widespread use of electric vehicles. We will use
this information to discuss the social judgements of electric
vehicles and the overall reasons they should be used.
Claus. (2015). “Materials and Processing for Lithium-ion
Batteries”.
TMS.
[online].
http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/jom/0809/daniel-0809.html
This online article from TMS was originally printed in an
academic magazine to describe the design of lithium ion
batteries to people that are not experts in the field. The article
goes in depth into the manufacturing process and the materials
used in creating the battery. This paper will be used as a
general outline for how lithium ion batteries work and as a
guideline for the process that creates them.
Tesla
Motors.
(2016).
[webpage].
https://www.teslamotors.com/
This automobile corporation’s website is one of the most
innovative and technologically advanced in its respective field.
Many of the website’s pages are dedicated to showing off the
design of the vehicles and its features. We will be using this
website to discuss the overall design of these cars that use
lithium ion batteries and how new applications are being
applied in the real world.
Cordoba-Arenas. (2014). “A control-oriented lithium-ion
battery pack model for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle cyclelife studies and system design with consideration of health
management”
[online].
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037877531
402076X
This journal article was written by Department of
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at The Ohio State
University to describe the overall life cycle of a lithium ion
battery. Factors such as the wear on the battery and the type of
materials used in the creation of the battery are keys to the
longevity of the batteries. We will be using this article to
explain technical intricacies that improve the batteries.
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