Electric scooters have several advantages over combustion engine scooters, with simplicity being one of the most beneficial ones. An electric scooter is powered by a single battery pack, unlike complex ICE scooter engines. A single battery reduces the chance of a mishap or a breakdown as compared to a petrol engine with several elements that can malfunction. Different batteries are used to power electric scooters, and the factors in choosing the best battery depend on its energy storage efficiency, constructive characteristics, safety, lifespan, and production costs. Lithium-ion batteries are the most sought-after in EVs due to their high battery density compared to other batteries.
A Battery Management System (BMS) is a crucial system that manages any rechargeable battery’s electronics. The Battery Management System for an electric vehicle is tasked with effectively monitoring the state of battery health(SOH), data, safe operating area (SOA) and state to charge (SOC) to balance them and ensure the same voltage is uniformly provided across all cells. The BMS communicates with various onboard systems to work in real time to protect the battery pack during surges and sudden acceleration and to optimise battery performance and longevity.
The 5 key functions a Battery Management System provides to enhance the battery’s safety, health, and performance are:
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Battery monitoring and safety
The BMS monitors parameters such as temperature, input and output current, and voltage across battery packs to ensure the battery’s safe operation. The current flowing towards the battery pack is monitored to avoid overcharging. The battery pack is a measure to prevent the user from receiving a shock by ensuring that the vehicle frame does not come into contact with the battery pack. The battery management system’s action can be physical, like an emergency battery shutdown or informative, like reporting trouble to the user.
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Thermal management
Temperature is a crucial factor determining battery health, life, and performance. The BMS oversees and controls the battery temperature through parameters such as average temperature, coolant intake temperature, coolant output temperature, and individual cell temperature. The BMS also triggers several cooling mechanisms whenever the battery overheats.
For example, when the BMS senses a high battery temperature, it can trigger a reaction, such as lowering the output power. The cooling in thermal management is either air or liquid cooling.
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Battery balancing
The BMS measures the SOC (State of Charge) that indicates the battery’s charge level to optimize the battery performance. The BMS also measures the individual cell voltages and calculates the relative differences. After every charging cycle, potential differences develop on each cell, which are amplified over time. This battery equalization helps in increasing the battery utilization capacity.
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Energy recovery
The EV BMS also recharges the electric scooter batteries by utilising the energy from regenerative braking. This is done by converting the excess kinetic energy into chemical or other forms of energy. The converted energy is transferred back to the battery pack to replenish some of its charge.
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Communication
The BMS communicates with the ECU or the Electronic Control Unit in addition to internal hardware at the cell wall. The BMS also communicates with external hardware. This process ensures the smooth functioning of the vehicle by communicating battery parameters to the motor controller. BMS is responsible for communicating with the onboard charger. In this way, it monitors and controls the charging of the battery.
Final Thoughts:
The global shift towards sustainability is leading to the rise of electric mobility as an environmentally friendly form of transportation. EV technology has improved exponentially since its inception. There are several big players and small start-ups offering electric scooters with a long riding range, fast charging capabilities, and innovative features enticing the young and old generations alike to choose sustainable means of transportation over conventional, fuel-powered transportation.
iVOOMi is a reputed electric scooter manufacturer in Pune of high-speed and long-range electric vehicles. Our power-packed EVs are designed for environmentally-conscious consumers who care about their carbon footprint and the future of our country. We have a wide selection of exciting electric scooters if you consider switching to EVs.
