Charging strategies and battery ageing for electric vehicles: A review

Abstract

Introducing electric vehicles in society requires access to charging infrastructure and a robust electric grid. This development concernsstrategic planning of policymakers. However, much uncertainty still exists about how new charging strategies affect the vehicle batteries, due to the fast development. This review article provides an overview of recent literature on how electric vehicle batteries are aged during different charging strategies, such as conductive charging, inductive charging, and battery swapping. This study finds that some charging conditions, such as fast charging at low temperatures, degrade batteries faster. Battery ageing is a non-linear process and depends on, for example, temperature, charging current, and state-of-charge. The high charging rates strongly influence battery degradation. It is concluded that there is a trade-off between faster charging and a longer battery lifetime. There is an interest in vehicle-to-grid to add revenues and grid flexibility. However, the related battery degradation needs to be further investigated. A key challenge in the decision-making process is to plan for charging infrastructure suitable for electric vehicle owners while contributing to the long life of electric vehicle batteries and ensuring socially acceptable and economically viable solutions. More interdisciplinary research in this field is recommended to support the clean energy transition.