Modeling and Simulation of a Hybrid Battery Pack Using Li-Ion Battery and Supercapacitors for Class 2A Light Duty Pick-Up Truck Application

This paper investigates the battery pack capacity optimization problem for a full-size electric pick-up truck using a hybrid battery pack consisting of supercapacitors and Li-Ion batteries. It also aims to simulate and study the thermal and ageing effects on the battery pack. A simplified mathematical model of an electric pick-up truck was developed using the power consumption-based approach which includes roadway grade, rolling resistance and wind resistance as the vehicle model along with modelling the electric powertrain. The proposed model takes into account the dynamic behavior of the system resulting in real time power demand by the electric motor and energy delivered by the storage system. The validation of the model is done by running the model through different US EPA Drive Cycles which provide the second-by-second velocity and time data inputs. The energy consumed by the vehicle model is then subsequently used to compute the battery ageing effects of the battery pack.