Electro-mobility – CAN-communicating battery system
Source: CAN Newsletter December 2011
Fraunhofer researchers are engineering the parts for electric vehicles and testing them on ”Frecc0”, their demonstration vehicle (Fraunhofer e-concept car Type 0). In a multi-disciplinary collaborative effort, 33 institutes of the research organization are working together on the diversity of issues that surround electro-mobility.The goal is to help companies speed up their pace of innovation.
A lot is going to change with the transition to electric cars: The automotive industry will have to manufacture completely new parts, utility companies will need modified business models and fee structures for supplying electricity to vehicles. This is a complex task, to be mastered with a holistic view only. The German research organization bundles its competence in the consortium Fraunhofer System Research on Electro-mobility. The goal is to develop prototypes for hybrid and electric vehicles, in order to support the German automotive industry as it makes the crossover to electro-mobility, funded by the federal ministry for education and research BMBF.
CAN-communicating battery system
The experts from eleven Fraunhofer institutes are working on the battery system: It’s no easy task, because the batteries and electrical systems in the vehicle are subject to the toughest standards. They must be safe, durable and efficient. And the driver must be able to tell at any time how much farther he can get before the battery needs a recharge. He also wants to know about traffic hold-ups so that, if necessary, he has enough time to find a service station. Whereas it is easy to determine the filling level of a gas-powered vehicle, this is not so easy with the battery of an electric car. A lithium-ion battery system mostly consists of several hundred cells, and they do not always run down at an equal pace. And if isolated cells break down or no longer deliver the intended capacity, then the entire battery may be affected.
