About the project
This PhD project will investigate the electrical, thermal and economic modelling of a range of electrical energy storage types (e.g. lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries, flow cells and fuel cells), with a view to further investigation of the potential to directly hybridise these energy stores.
The PhD will support a wider research team working on a new EPSRC funded Programme Grant entitled ‘Future Electric Vehicle Energy networks supporting Renewables (FEVER)’, grant ref EP/W005883/1.
The need to rapidly electrify the transport sector is being driven by the recognition that this sector is now the largest single source of carbon emissions in the UK. Whilst the purchase and use of new battery and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing the publicly available re-charging infrastructure is lagging behind, and Government have acknowledged this through recent announcement of a £1.5bn EV charging infrastructure programme.
However a major obstacle remains in terms of the current electrical grid capacity and connection process to facilitate new charging stations.
The focus of the FEVER project is to develop new, grid independent, 100% renewable energy supplied, EV charging stations. As the input energy is in the form of stochastic renewable energy, the charging station architecture requires to utilise a novel energy store, capable of regulating seasonally variable input energy against a daily and weekly pattern of EV charging use. The novel energy store must be capable of meeting the charging power and energy requirements of EVs, whilst satisfying the charging station annual energy flows and economic model. For example, a lithium-ion battery system on its own could not meet these diverse requirements and a novel energy storage hybrid system will be investigated.
Training on performance characterisation of electrical energy stores will be given e.g. cycle testing, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy etc.
