A Novel Study on Battery Electric Vehicle Development

Adoption of clean energy alternatives is imperative to the transportation sector in view of serious environmental concerns and depletion of fossil fuels. The automobile industry heavily contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, therefore developing electric vehicles is a crucial step toward reducing carbon emissions. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) offer a promising solution but face technical barriers. This study explores the transformation of a vehicle with an internal combustion (IC) engine into an electric vehicle, considering the associated technical and development difficulties. The chassis fatigue analysis of the IC engine vehicle and the electric vehicle was first compared, followed by a one-dimensional (1D) powertrain simulation to develop an electric vehicle powertrain with torque and power output comparable to the IC engine vehicle. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis for the thermal management of the battery was also performed on the converted vehicle. The results revealed that the chassis of the IC engine vehicle was subjected to stress levels and stress-induced damage more than 40 times greater than the BEV. The study also showed 46% less deformation in the electric vehicle's chassis. The BEV consumed an average of 25 kWh/100 km with a constant heat capacity of 700 J/kg K during a 750 km run, as shown by the 1D simulation. Traction force increased from zero to 2300 N as the motor applied torque to the wheels. The maximum battery wall temperature in the pack reached 298 K, and the CFD analysis of the battery thermal management showed that the proposed fluid flow channel could transfer up to 7.5 kg of mass per kg, with a maximum outlet temperature of 400 K, ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the BEV. A notable conclusion from the study is that the developed virtual BEV is robust enough to run in the real world after some safety checks.