Advancing battery energy storage system: State‐of‐health aware state‐of‐charge balancing in multilevel inverters for electric transportation

Abstract This research presents an innovative methodology for enhancing battery energy storage systems for electrically powered transportation, utilizing a distinctive cascaded H‐bridge multilevel inverter design, termed P‐CHBMI. Central to this work is the development of a state‐of‐health aware state‐of‐charge (SoH‐aware‐SoC) balancing technique, which leverages an advanced algorithm integrated with a Proportional‐Integral (PI) controller technique to efficiently balance battery cells according to their state‐of health (SoH). This technique significantly improves operational efficiency and extends the lifespan of battery systems by intelligently optimizing cell discharge processes. Moreover, this research work delivers a wide range of simulations for the generation of a streamlined control algorithms for the development of the symmetric and asymmetric configuration of the P‐CHBMI. Similarly, recommended topology is proficient of equal voltage discharge across battery cells, which is an exclusive property of the conventional cascaded H‐bridge topology. The study includes extensive MATLAB/Simulink simulations to validate the superiority of the P‐CHBMI and the SoH‐aware‐SoC balancing method over conventional systems, highlighting substantial enhancements in switch count efficiency, operational flexibility, and battery durability. Further, the practical applicability of the proposed topology is evidenced through a hardware implementation of a symmetric 5‐level inverter. This study plays a significant role in the development of the inverter technology particularly in off‐grid scenarios such as electric vehicle and aircrafts, keeping the battery efficiency and reliability as a most important factor.