Session A7
Paper 6007
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.
The Benefits of Lithium-Ion Batteries on Efficient Electric Automobiles
Jahari Mercer, jrm213@pitt.edu, Sanchez 10:00am, Michael Neguse, min32@pitt.edu, Vidic 2:00 p.m.
Revised Proposal — The topic for this paper is the
benefits lithium ion batteries have on energy efficient electric
automobiles, specifically the tesla roadster, in optimizing
performance and sustainability. The main focus of the overall
paper will be the effects of the lithium ion battery on the
automobile as a whole as well as the sustainability features it
provides to the environment because of its use. Lithium ion
batteries consists of a “graphite anode, a lithium metal oxide
cathode, and an electrolyte of a lithium salt and an organic
solvent” [1]. The lithium ion battery is a great choice for
electric automobiles because it generates a high operating
voltage and it reduces weight created by the battery [1].
The importance of the lithium ion battery comes from
being able to have sustainable vehicles that perform just as
well, or even better, than gas vehicles while producing
virtually no carbon dioxide emissions. The Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers states in their power and
energy magazine that one of the advantages of electric vehicles
is “such vehicles offer lower net CO2 emissions than cars with
traditional gasoline engines.” [2] This concept is crucial to
the ethics of electric vehicles. The main ethical concern that
electric vehicles address is the need to reduce the effect of
Green House Gases (GHGs) on the environment and those
inhabiting the earth. Carbon dioxide released from gas
vehicles, for example, results in long term problems for the
environment, animal population, human population, crop
development, etc. The development of cars that don’t rely on
gas and run efficiently is very important to consumers,
engineers, and environmentalists alike. By reducing CO2
emissions significantly, electric vehicles such as the tesla
roadster address this concern.
In order to describe the benefits of the lithium ion
battery in this paper, there are several ways that the battery
has to be assessed in order to test its effectiveness. First, the
battery has to be assessed from a mechanical engineering
standpoint. This analysis includes examining the battery’s
weight, performance, response to car vibration and lifespan.
For example, the lithium ion battery is remarkably efficient in
producing more energy than a traditional car battery, while
also weighing less. By providing more energy, while not
sacrificing much in terms of weight, the lithium ion battery is
important in reducing the environmental impact of vehicle and
increasing its performance. It is also imperative to take into
University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering 1
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account the advantages and disadvantages of using this type
of battery versus other alternate fuel sources. Furthermore,
this paper will explore the environmental aspects that
categorize the battery. This requires exploring the
sustainability of the battery when it is no longer in use, the
effect of the materials used, and the benefits of reducing
carbon emissions. Lastly, this paper will analyze the example
of the Tesla roadster automotive which is a prime example of
all of these components combined and how this automotive
furthers this technology.
REFERENCES
[1] M. Eberhard and M. Tarpenning. (2006). “The 21st Century
Electric Car.” Tesla Motors. (Company Manual).
http://www.idconline.com/technical_references/pdfs/electrical_engineering/
Tesla_Motors.pdf
[2] L. Dickerman and J. Harrison. (2010). “A New Car, a New
Grid.” IEEE Power & Energy Magazine. (Technical
Magazine).
http://www.ehcar.net/library/rapport/rapport054.pdf
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
D.Berdichevsky, K.Kelly, JB Straubel, and E. Toomre. (2006).
“The Tesla Roadster Battery System.” Tesla Motors
(Company Manual)
http://large.stanford.edu/publications/power/references/docs/t
esla.pdf
This paper, from Tesla’s reports, details the lithium ion
pack design and safety features. The paper explains the
dangers of lithium ion batteries and details the steps Tesla took
to ensure the safety of the Roadster’s lithium ion battery pack.
We plan to use the information in this article to discuss the
ethics of using a powerful energy source at the expense of
safety.
“Choosing Your Topic Video Tutorial.” University of
Pittsburgh
Library
System.
(Tutorial
Video).
http://www.library.pitt.edu/other/files/il/fresheng/index.html
Jahari Mercer
Micheal Neguse
This video, from the University of Pittsburgh’s Library,
provides resources to aid in research of technical topics. The
video details broad topics good for beginning research, then
provides techniques to focus on specific technologies. In
addition, the video informs how to use search engines to find
articles in journals. We plan to use this video to find more
information about lithium ion batteries.
This article, from an international environmental journal,
details the greenhouse gas emissions as a result of battery
electric vehicles. The article analyzes the environmental
impacts of small, medium, and large electric vehicles, as well
as four different battery types. We plan to use this information
to evaluate the environmental impact of the Roadster’s
particular size and battery combination compared to other
electric vehicle models.
L. Dickerman and J. Harrison. (2010). “A New Car, a New
Grid.” IEEE Power & Energy Magazine. (Technical
Magazine).
http://www.ehcar.net/library/rapport/rapport054.pdf
This article, from a technical electrical engineering
magazine, details electric vehicle technology and
environmental impacts. The article argues that electric vehicles
are the practical alternative to gasoline vehicles because fossil
fuels are scarce and environmental damage is irreversible. We
plan to use this source to evaluate the ethics of environmental
damage due to vehicles and better understand the functions of
the lithium ion battery’s charging capabilities.
P. Miller. (2015) “Automotive Lithium-Ion Batteries.”
Johnson Matthey Technology Review. (Journal Article).
http://www.technology.matthey.com/article/59/1/4-13/
This article, from a scientific peer reviewed journal,
explains the chemistry and structure of a lithium ion battery.
In addition, the article discusses the applications of lithium ion
batteries in passenger vehicles and future developments of the
battery. This article will help us to explain how lithium ion
batteries work, discuss their specific application in vehicles,
and describe their general structure.
R. Tichy. (2009). “Li-Ion Batteries Offer High-Density and
Small Size Necessary to Drive Electric Vehicles.” Powerkit.
(Technical
Magazine).
http://rt4rf9qn2y.search.serialssolutions.com/?sid=EI:Compe
ndex&genre=article&issn=15402800&date=2009&volume=35&issue=10&spage=42&epage
=45&title=Power+Electronics+Technology&atitle=Liion+batteries+offer+highdensity+and+small+size+necessary+to+drive+electric+vehicl
es&aulast=Tichy&aufirst=Robin&isbn
This article, from an electronic technology magazine,
details problems that arise from using large ion battery pack in
vehicles. The article mentions cell balancing becomes a
problem when the individual cells in the large battery have
different currents and voltages. Information on the problems
with large lithium ion battery packs will be useful for
explaining the innovative design Tesla had create in order to
come up with the Roadster.
M. Eberhard and M. Tarpenning. (2006) “The 21 st Century
Electric Car.” Tesla Motors (Company Manual)
http://www.idconline.com/technical_references/pdfs/electrical_engineering/
Tesla_Motors.pdf
In this technical paper, Tesla founders Matrin Eberhard and
Marc Tarpenning detail the efficiency, performance, and
convenience of the Tesla Roadster. The paper argues the
Roadster’s superiority over various hybrid, electric, and
hydrogen fuel-cell cars through comparisons of energy use and
vehicle reports. The lithium ion battery’s performance
compared to other vehicle energy sources will be very useful
in determining its effectiveness in our paper.
O. Gausen, T. Hawkings, and A Stromman. (2012).
“Environmental Impacts of Hybrid and Electric Vehicles – a
Review.” The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment.
(Studies
Report).
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11367-012-04409/fulltext.html
This report, from an environmental science journal,
evaluates studies on the environmental impacts of hybrid and
electric vehicles. Taking into account the full life cycles of
both electric vehicles and gasoline vehicles, the report argues
that electric vehicles produce less greenhouse gas emissions
than gasoline vehicles. In our paper we plan to use this paper
to evaluate the ethicality of electric vehicles considering
greenhouse gas emissions.
E. Helmers and P. Marx. (2012). “Electric Cars: Technical
Characteristics and Environmental Impacts.” Environmental
Sciences
Europe.
(Environmental
Journal).
http://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/21904715-24-14
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