Efficiency Characteristic of a High-Power Reconfigurable Battery with Series-Connected Topology

Reconfigurable batteries can change their cell topology in real time, which enables them to adapt their voltage during operation. This unique capability makes interfacing power converters redundant in applications where batteries are directly coupled with other DC components. The present paper characterizes a prototype of a reconfigurable battery for high power applications, and estimates the efficiency for the complete operating area. The results show that the efficiency is higher during charging and for higher voltage levels. The power losses of the battery components enabling the reconfigurable design only add a minor contribution to the overall losses. Furthermore, the highest efficiencies are achieved at low power values, where DC-DC converters generally show a steep decrease. Hence, this novel battery design is expected to have a better efficiency compared to a conventional battery with power converter.