Topographical Optimization of a Battery Module Case That Equips an Electric Vehicle

Abstract

The exponential development and successful application of systems-related technologies that can put electric vehicles on a level playing field in direct competition with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines mean that the foreseeable future of the automobile (at least) will be dominated by vehicles that have electric current stored in batteries as a source of energy. The problem at the European level related to the dependence on battery suppliers from Asia directly correlates with the need to use batteries as energy storage media for energy from renewable sources (photovoltaic and wind), and leads to the need for research into the possibilities for their reuse, remanufacturing or recycling (at the end of their life or purpose of use), and reintroduction, either fully or partially, back into the economy. This article presents possibilities for increasing the protection of the integrity of the cells that form a battery in the event of an impact/road accident, by the numerical analysis of a topographically optimized battery module case. The proposed solution/method is innovative and offers a cell protection efficiency of between 16.6–60% (19.7% to 40.7% if the mean values for all three impact velocities are considered). The efficiency of a cell’s protection decreases with the increase in impact velocity and provides the premise for a greater part of the saved cells to be reintegrated into other energy storage systems (photovoltaic and/or wind), avoiding future problems relating to environmental pollution.