Design considerations for charge equalization of an electric vehicle battery system

Charge equalization for series-connected battery strings has important ramifications on battery life. It enhances the uniformity of the battery cells and, hence, improves the life of the battery as a whole. A new charge equalization technique for a series string of battery cells has been recently proposed by the authors. The basic technique utilizes a simple isolated DC-to-DC power converter with a capacitive output filter along with a multiwinding transformer. The possibility of integrating the trickle charge function with the charge equalization function is potentially very attractive, as it can lead to an efficient and low-cost implementation.