The ZEBRA electric vehicle battery: power and energy improvements

Autor: R. C. Galloway, Steven Haslam
Rok vydání: 1999
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Power Sources. 80:164-170
ISSN: 0378-7753
DOI: 10.1016/s0378-7753(98)00259-6
Popis: Vehicle trials with the first sodium/nickel chloride ZEBRA batteries indicated that the pulse power capability of the battery needed to be improved towards the end of the discharge. A research programme led to several design changes to improve the cell which, in combination, have improved the power of the battery to greater than 150 W kg−1 at 80% depth of discharge. Bench and vehicle tests have established the stability of the high power battery over several years of cycling. The gravimetric energy density of the first generation of cells was less than 100 Wh kg−1. Optimisation of the design has led to a cell with a specific energy of 120 Wh kg−1 or 86 Wh kg−1 for a 30 kWh battery. Recently, the cell chemistry has been altered to improve the useful capacity. The cell is assembled in the over-discharged state and during the first charge the following reactions occur: at 1.6 V: Al+4NaCl=NaAlCl4+3Na; at 2.35 V: Fe+2NaCl=FeCl2+2Na; at 2.58 V: Ni+2NaCl=NiCl2+2 Na. The first reaction serves to prime the negative sodium electrode but occurs at too low a voltage to be of use in providing useful capacity. By minimising the aluminium content more NaCl is released for the main reactions to improve the capacity of the cell. This, and further composition optimisation, have resulted in cells with specific energies in excess of 140 Wh kg−1, which equates to battery energies>100 Wh kg−1. The present production battery, as installed in a Mercedes Benz A class electric vehicle, gives a driving range of 205 km (128 miles) in city and hill climbing. The cells with improved capacity will extend the practical driving range to beyond 240 km (150 miles).
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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