In this paper is presented a crash simulation analysis of the battery pack in order to increase the stiffness when the electric vehicle is involved in traffic accidents. In the first part is presented the state of the art, highlighting the advantages of using electric vehicles. The second part of the study presents the steps required to create the crash analysis of the battery pack. The CAD design of the assembly model is generated using advanced modelling techniques for two simulations battery pack models: the first model has a basic shape geometry and the second model has a shock absorber mounted on the external faces to reduce the crash impact. The crash analysis of the battery pack is determined for three velocity cases: 7 m/s, 14 m/s and 21 m/s. The final part of the paper presents the simulation results and different advantages of the battery pack geometry with the shock absorber.

The exponential development and successful application of systems-related technologies that can put electric vehicles on a level playing field in direct competition with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines mean that the foreseeable future of the automobile (at least) will be dominated by vehicles that have electric current stored in batteries as a source of energy. The problem at the European level related to the dependence on battery suppliers from Asia directly correlates with the need to use batteries as energy storage media for energy from renewable sources (photovoltaic and wind), and leads to the need for research into the possibilities for their reuse, remanufacturing or recycling (at the end of their life or purpose of use), and reintroduction, either fully or partially, back into the economy. This article presents possibilities for increasing the protection of the integrity of the cells that form a battery in the event of an impact/road accident, by the numerical analysis of a topographically optimized battery module case. The proposed solution/method is innovative and offers a cell protection efficiency of between 16.6–60% (19.7% to 40.7% if the mean values for all three impact velocities are considered). The efficiency of a cell’s protection decreases with the increase in impact velocity and provides the premise for a greater part of the saved cells to be reintegrated into other energy storage systems (photovoltaic and/or wind), avoiding future problems relating to environmental pollution.

Electric vehicles are considered to be the immediate solution to drastically reduce the pollutant emissions from the road transport sector. However, one of the barriers of the massive penetration of the automotive market by electric vehicles is related to consumer/driver anxiety linked to the autonomy of electric vehicles. Autonomy depends directly on the battery technology that equips the electric vehicle, and from this point of view, the technology based on Li-Ion electrochemistry is the most accepted. This article presents a study by numerical simulation methods on the functional performance (autonomy) of an electric vehicle equipped with three different types of batteries (LiCoO2, LiFePO4, and a classic Acid-lead), as they have a low battery energetic charge. The obtained results showed that there are differences between the various technologies considered, the most efficient one being the LiCoO2 battery type.

Due to the reduction in pollutant emissions, the number of electric vehicles has experienced rapid growth in worldwide traffic. Vehicles equipped with batteries represent a greater danger of explosion and fire in the case of traffic accidents, which is why new protective systems and devices have been designed to improve impact safety. Through their design and construction, auxetic structures can ensure the efficient dissipation of impact energy, reducing the risk of battery damage and maintaining the safety of vehicle occupants. In this paper, we analyze the crashworthiness performance of a battery case equipped with an energy absorber with a particular shape based on a re-entrant auxetic model. Simulations were performed at a velocity of 10 m/s and applied to the battery case with a rigid impact pole, a configuration justified by most accidents occurring at a low velocity. The results highlight that by using auxetic structures in the construction of the battery case, the impact can be mitigated by the improved energy absorber placed around the battery case, which leads to a decrease in the number of damaged cells by up to 35.2%. In addition, the mass of the improved energy absorbers is lower than that of the base structure.

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