Energy Storages and Technologies for Electric Vehicle

The transport sector is heading for a major changeover with focus on new age, eco-friendly, smart and energy saving vehicles. Electric vehicle (EV) technology is considered a game-changer in the transportation sector as it offers advantages such as eco-friendliness, cheaper fuel cost, lower maintenance expenses, energy-efficient and increased safety. The energy system design is very critical to the performance of the electric vehicle. The first step in the energy storage design is the selection of the appropriate energy storage resources. This article presents the various energy storage technologies and points out their advantages and disadvantages in a simple and elaborate manner. It shows that battery/ultracapacitor hybrid energy system technology is the most suitable for electric vehicle applications. Li-ion battery technology with high specific energy and range is very suitable for this application. Further it analyzes the basic parallel configuration of the hybrid energy storage system.