Effective Cell Balancing Methods for Electric Vehicle Applications: A Review

Abstract

Electric Vehicles are the most sustainable choice for both personal and public transportation. The core of electric vehicles is the lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery. For electric vehicles, Li-Ion batteries are created by connecting a large number of cells in series and parallel. As a result, the Li-Ion battery pack always consists of the Battery Management System (BMS), which is used for the management, balancing and protection of the battery. Balancing is one of the most crucial tasks of the BMS concerning the life and safety of the battery because, without balancing the battery system, the voltages of each individual cell will drift apart over time. This will reduce the total useful capacity of the pack ultimately causing the entire battery system to fail. This paper explores the theory behind the various cell balancing methods for Li-Ion battery pack within the past few years. The research compares the balancing strategies in order to identify slow, ineffective, and expensive methods in contrast to techniques that offer quick, effective, and inexpensive implementation.