Formula Student battery module

Supervisor: Dr Yatish Patel

This DMT project aimed to design, build, and test a battery module for EV3, Imperial Racing Green’s latest electric Formula Student racing vehicle. Formula Student UK is an international student-led competition that takes place at Silverstone every year.  Size, weight, and power constraints had to be accounted for from the start due to the existing car design. These constraints led to an innovative design which efficiently packs cylindrical lithium-ion cells in an aluminium heat sink. This design maximised safety and energy density. Extensive cell tests were carried out to select the optimal cell and to define the characteristics of the module. Particular attention was also paid to the thermal management of the module. The final design has a capacity of 0.86kWh and a peak power output of 16kW. Eight modules will ultimately be combined, along with High Voltage and Battery Management systems, to form the full EV3 battery pack.