Analysis of the Influence of Variable Meteorological Conditions on the Performance of the EV Battery and on the Driving Range

Abstract

The influence of variable weather conditions on the performance of the battery that powers electric vehicles (EV) was studied and analyzed. This paper also deals with the effects that changes in the performance of the battery have on the driving range of the vehicle. An algorithm to evaluate the influence of temperature on the behavior of the battery and on the real driving range of electric vehicles was developed. Our theoretical approach was assessed in experimental tests run under operating conditions that reproduce real situations. A correction factor was obtained to match theoretical and experimental values with an accuracy higher than 98%. A linear relation between driving range and ambient temperature was observed from a simulation process, with a high regression coefficient. The relation shows that the driving range increases with ambient temperature. The ratio of the estimated driving range from the simulation process and the standard value for a reference temperature of 25 °C was obtained. The ratio shows that the global driving range can be increased by up to 29% in high temperatures associated with the summer season, while for very low temperatures, near −30 °C, the global driving range is reduced by 20%. The comparative analysis of the driving range for different temperatures shows that there is a reduction of about 18% for the low range of ambient temperatures, between −15 °C and 5 °C, while for medium temperatures, between 5 °C and 25 °C, the reduction in the driving range is only 4.6%. Finally, tests demonstrated that with a reduction in high temperatures from 25 °C to 35 °C, the driving range only reduced by about 0.4%. For higher temperatures, around 50 °C, the longest driving distance can be achieved, with a higher accuracy.