Final report of a 1993 Solectria Force into flat frontal barrier.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Washington, D.C.

Hawkins electrical guide. Questions, answers & illustrations; a progressive course of study for engineers, electricians, students and those desiring to acquire a working knowledge of electricity and its applications; a practical treatise,

"Credit is largely due to Frank D. Graham ... for the authorship of the Guides, and for the original sketches illustrating electrical principles and construction."--Pref. to no. 1.

Solar PV-powered SRM drive for EVs with flexible energy control functions

Electric vehicles (EVs) provide a feasible solution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thus become a hot topic for research and development. Switched reluctance motors (SRMs) are one of promised motors for EV applications. In order to extend the EVs’ driving miles, the use of photovoltaic (PV) panels on the vehicle helps decrease the reliance on vehicle batteries. Based on phase winding characteristics of SRMs, a tri-port converter is proposed in this paper to control the energy flow between the PV panel, battery and SRM. Six operating modes are presented, four of which are developed for driving and two for standstill on-board charging. In the driving modes, the energy decoupling control for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of the PV panel and speed control of the SRM are realized. In the standstill charging modes, a grid-connected charging topology is developed without a need for external hardware. When the PV panel directly charges the battery, a multi-section charging control strategy is used to optimize energy utilization. Simulation results based on Matlab/Simulink and experiments prove the effectiveness of the proposed tri-port converter, which has potential economic implications to improve the market acceptance of EVs.

A Comparison of the Impacts of Lithium Extraction and Lithium Recycling Processes

Lithium is used in the cathode and electrolyte of rechargeable batteries in many portable electronics and electric vehicles, and is thus seen as a critical component of modern technology (Gruber et al., 2011). Electric vehicles are promoted as a way to reduce carbon emissions associated with the transportation sector, which accounts for 14.3% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (OECD International Transport Forum, 2010). However, the sustainability of lithium procurement will influence the overall environmental impact of this proposed “green” solution. It is estimated that 66% of the world’s lithium resource is contained in natural brines, 24% in pegmatites, and 8% in sedimentary rocks such as hectorite clays (Gruber et al., 2011). It has been shown that “[r]ecycling of lithium from Li-ion batteries may be a critical factor in balancing the supply of lithium with future demand” (Gruber et al., 2011). In an attempt to quantify energy and materials consumption associated with production of a unit of useful lithium compounds, industry reports and peer-reviewed scientific literature concerning lithium mining and lithium recycling were reviewed and compared. Other aspects of sustainability, such as waste or by-products produced in the production of a unit of useful lithium, were also explored. Thus, this paper will serve to further the evaluation of the comparative environmental consequences associated with lithium production via extraction versus recycling. Efficiencies must be made in both processes to maximize productivity while minimizing ecological harm.

Electrochemical Investigations into Blended Electrolytes Containing Ionic Liquids and a Glyme Solvent for Li-O­2 batteries

The Li-O2 battery may theoretically possess practical gravimetric energy densities several times greater than the current state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries.1 This magnitude of development is a requisite for true realization of electric vehicles capable of competing with the traditional combustion engine. However, significant challenges must be addressed before practical application may be considered. These include low efficiencies, low rate capabilities and the parasitic decomposition reactions of electrolyte/electrode materials resulting in very poor rechargeability.2-4 Ionic liquids, ILs, typically display several properties, extremely low vapor pressure and high electrochemical and thermal stability, which make them particularly interesting for Li-O2 battery electrolytes. However, the typically sluggish transport properties generally inhibit rate performance and cells suffer similar inefficiencies during cycling.5,6

In addition to the design of new ILs with tailored properties, formulating blended electrolytes using molecular solvents with ILs has been considered to improve their performance.7,8 In this work, we will discuss the physical properties vs. the electrochemical performance of a range of formulated electrolytes based on tetraglyme, a benchmark Li-O2 battery electrolyte solvent, and several ILs. The selected ILs are based on the bis{(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl}imide anion and alkyl/ether functionalized cyclic alkylammonium cations, which exhibit very good stability and moderate viscosity.9 O2 electrochemistry will be investigated in these media using macro and microdisk voltammetry and O2 solubility/diffusivity is quantified as a function of the electrolyte formulation. Furthermore, galvanostatic cycling of selected electrolytes in Li-O2 cells will be discussed to probe their practical electrochemical performance. Finally, the physical characterization of the blended electrolytes will be reported in parallel to further determine structure (or formulation) vs. property relationships and to, therefore, assess the importance of certain electrolyte properties (viscosity, O2supply capability, donor number) on their performance.

This work was funded by the EPSRC (EP/L505262/1) and Innovate UK for the Practical Lithium-Air Batteries project (project number: 101577).

1. P. G. Bruce, S. A. Freunberger, L. J. Hardwick and J.-M. Tarascon, Nat. Mater., 11, 19 (2012).

2. S. A. Freunberger, Y. Chen, N. E. Drewett, L. J. Hardwick, F. Barde and P. G. Bruce, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed., 50, 8609 (2011).

3. B. D. McCloskey, A. Speidel, R. Scheffler, D. C. Miller, V. Viswanathan, J. S. Hummelshøj, J. K. Nørskov and A. C. Luntz, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 3, 997 (2012).

4. D. G. Kwabi, T. P. Batcho, C. V. Amanchukwu, N. Ortiz-Vitoriano, P. Hammond, C. V. Thompson and Y. Shao-Horn, J. Phys. Chem. Lett., 5, 2850 (2014).

5. Z. H. Cui, W. G. Fan and X. X. Guo, J. Power Sources, 235, 251 (2013).

6. F. Soavi, S. Monaco and M. Mastragostino, J. Power Sources, 224, 115 (2013).

7. L. Cecchetto, M. Salomon, B. Scrosati and F. Croce, J. Power Sources, 213, 233 (2012).

8. A. Khan and C. Zhao, Electrochem. Commun., 49, 1 (2014).

9. Z. J. Chen, T. Xue and J.-M. Lee, RSC Adv., 2, 10564 (2012).

Local Storage Meets Local Demand: A Technical Solution to Future Power Distribution System

Future power systems are expected to integrate large-scale stochastic and intermittent generation and load due to reduced use of fossil fuel resources, including renewable energy sources (RES) and electric vehicles (EV). Inclusion of such resources poses challenges for the dynamic stability of synchronous transmission and distribution networks, not least in terms of generation where system inertia may not be wholly governed by large-scale generation but displaced by small-scale and localised generation. Energy storage systems (ESS) can limit the impact of dispersed and distributed generation by offering supporting reserve while accommodating large-scale EV connection; the latter (load) also participating in storage provision. In this paper, a local energy storage system (LESS) is proposed. The structure, requirement and optimal sizing of the LESS are discussed. Three operating modes are detailed, including: 1) storage pack management; 2) normal operation; and 3) contingency operation. The proposed LESS scheme is evaluated using simulation studies based on data obtained from the Northern Ireland regional and residential network.

Catalysing the Irish Energy Transition: Capacities and Challenges

The transition to a “low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable economy by the end of the 
year 2050” has been conceptualised as the “national transition objective” in the Irish Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill, passed in late 2015. This has raised a myriad of questions over how this can be operationalised and resourced and whether it can maintain political momentum. This paper assesses the utility of framings informed by the transitions (MLP) and technological innovation systems perspectives in contributing to transformative societal processes, by examining their application in an Irish case study on policy and technology. Through a qualitative exploration of the broader societal and policy context of the energy sector and a more detailed examination of the innovation systems of selected niche technologies (bioenergy and electric vehicles), the Irish case study sought to identify potential catalysts for a sustainability transition in the energy sector in Ireland: where these exist, how these are being built or enabled, and barriers to change. Following a discussion on the theoretical approaches used, a description will be given of how these were applied in the conducting of the research on transition in Ireland case study and the key findings which emerged. A critical reflection will then be made on the utility of these perspectives (as applied) to contribute to broader processes of societal transformation in Ireland.

Coupled diusion and mechanics in battery electrodes

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

PM Motors for High Efficiency Applications

PM motors are suitable for nearly all applications, like pumps, elevators, compressors, blowers, extruders, generators, electric vehicles, servodrives, cooling towers, household appliances, etc. This paper will present some applications where the use of PM motors allowed for enhancements in energy efficiency and process quality.

SVPWM SWITCHING PATTERN FOR Z-SOURCE INVERTER, SIMULATION AND APPLICATION

The voltage source inverter (VSI) and current voltage source inverter (CSI) are widely used in industrial application. But the traditional VSIs and CSIs have one common problem: can’t boost or buck the voltage come from battery, which make them impossible to be used alone in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV/EV) motor drive application, other issue is the traditional inverter need to add the dead-band time into the control sequence, but it will cause the output waveform distortion. This report presents an impedance source (Z-source network) topology to overcome these problems, it can use one stage instead of two stages (VSI or CSI + boost converter) to buck/boost the voltage come from battery in inverter system. Therefore, the Z-source topology hardware design can reduce switching element, entire system size and weight, minimize the system cost and increase the system efficiency. Also, a modified space vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) control method has been selected with the Z-source network together to achieve the best efficiency and lower total harmonic distortion (THD) at different modulation indexes. Finally, the Z-source inverter controlling will modulate under two control sequences: sinusoidal pulse width modulation (SPWM) and SVPWM, and their output voltage, ripple and THD will be compared.

QoE-aware power management in vehicle-to-grid networks:a matching-theoretic approach

Frequency, time and places of charging and discharging have critical impact on the Quality of Experience (QoE) of using Electric Vehicles (EVs). EV charging and discharging scheduling schemes should consider both the QoE of using EV and the load capacity of the power grid. In this paper, we design a traveling plan-aware scheduling scheme for EV charging in driving pattern and a cooperative EV charging and discharging scheme in parking pattern to improve the QoE of using EV and enhance the reliability of the power grid. For traveling planaware scheduling, the assignment of EVs to Charging Stations (CSs) is modeled as a many-to-one matching game and the Stable Matching Algorithm (SMA) is proposed. For cooperative EV charging and discharging in parking pattern, the electricity exchange between charging EVs and discharging EVs in the same parking lot is formulated as a many-to-many matching model with ties, and we develop the Pareto Optimal Matching Algorithm (POMA). Simulation results indicates that the SMA can significantly improve the average system utility for EV charging in driving pattern, and the POMA can increase the amount of electricity offloaded from the grid which is helpful to enhance the reliability of the power grid.

Safe operation of transmission system considering EV at distribution level

In this paper, the IEEE 14 bus test system is used in order to perform adequacy assessment of a transmission system when large scale integration of electric vehicles is considered at distribution levels. In this framework, the symmetric/constr ained fuzzy power flow (SFPF/CFPF) was proposed. The SFPF/CFPF models are suitable to quantify the adequacy of transmission network to satisfy “reasonable demands for the transmission of electricity” as defined, for instance, in the European Directive 2009/72/EC. In this framework, electric vehicles of different types will be treated as fuzzy loads configuring part of the “reasonable demands”. With this study, it is also intended to show how to evaluate the amount of EVs that can be safely accommodated to the grid meeting a certain adequacy level.

Microwave-assisted synthesis and local analyses of positive insertion electrodes for Li-ion batteries

Efficient energy storage holds the key to reducing waste energy and enabling the use of advanced handheld electronic devices, hydrid electric vehicles and residential energy storage. Recently, Li-ion batteries have been identified and employed as energy storage devices due to their high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities, in comparison to previous technologies. However, more research is required to enhance the efficiency of Li-ion batteries by discovering electrodes with larger electrochemical discharge capacities, while maintaining electrochemical stability. The aims of this study are to develop new microwave-assisted synthesis routes to nanostructured insertion cathodes, which harbor a greater affinity for lithium extraction and insertion than bulk materials. Subsequent to this, state-of-the-art synchrotron based techniques have been employed to understand structural and dynamic behaviour of nanostructured cathode materials during battery cell operation. In this study, microwave-assisted routes to a-LiFePO4, VO2(B), V3O7, H2V3O8 and V4O6(OH)4 have all been developed. Muon spin relaxation has shown that the presence of b-LiFePO4 has a detrimental effect on the lithium diffusion properties of a-LiFePO4, in agreement with first principles calculations. For the first time, a-LiFePO4 nanostructures have been obtained by employing a deep eutectic solvent reaction media showing near theoretical capacity (162 mAh g–1). Studies on VO2(B) have shown that the discharge capacity obtained is linked to the synthesis method. Electrochemical studies of H2V3O8 nanowires have shown outstanding discharge capacities (323 mAh g–1 at 100 mA g–1) and rate capability (180 mAh g–1 at 1 A g–1). The electrochemcial properties of V4O6(OH)4 have been investigated for the first time and show a promising discharge capacity of (180 mAh g–1). Lastly, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been utilised to track the evolution of the oxidation states in a-LiFePO4, VO2(B) and H2V3O8, and has shown these can all be observed dynamically.

Study of the Electromagnetic Interference Generated by Wireless Power Transfer Systems

This paper presents a study related with measuring of radio frequency emissions. The purpose is to determine the level of interference generated by wireless power transfer equipment in a specific frequency range, and to compare those levels to the existing standards. The technology of wireless power transfer, especially for electric vehicles batteries charging, is rapidly developing in the recent years. An increasing use of this technology in industrial and consumer electronic products has raised concerns about the possible unfavorable health-effects onto the human being. Another concern is raised from the high intensity fields produced by wireless power transfer systems which will generate highly undesired influence on other electrical and electronic equipment. As a protection against the potential health effects, the governments imposed limits on the occupational and general public exposure to the radio frequencies. These limitations are set out in national and international safety guidelines, standards and regulations. The measurement and evaluation of the human exposure to electromagnetic fields are essential to guarantee occupational and general public safety.

Electromagnetic Emissions from Wireless Power Transfer System

In this paper, the measurement and analysis of the electromagnetic radiated emissions from the wireless power transfer system is reported. The aim is to evaluate the level of the electromagnetic field produced by the magnetic resonance wireless power transfer system. Due to the advances of the wireless power transfer technology, it becomes feasible to apply the wireless power transfer in the electric vehicles charging. Among the existent wireless power transfer technologies, the magnetic resonant coupling is proven to be the most suitable for this task. Because of strong electromagnetic field generated by wireless power transfer system the electromagnetic compatibility has become an important issue.