Battery Pack Arrangement and Placement

Owned by Eric Zhao
Feb 16, 2022
2 min read

Goals:

  • Finalize battery pack configuration (Number of cells in parallel and series for the pack and modules)

    • Mainly regarding number of cells in series for modules (2S or 4S), we want to try to stick with 11P36S for the pack overall unless it poses a significant problem weight or volume-wise

      • The weight limit for lithium-ion batteries is 20kg, the 11P36S maximizes the capacity of the pack while staying under the weight limits (roughly 19.4kg)

      • The number of cells in series mainly depends on the motors we use, 36S is suitable for the motors we used for MSXIV, however if we decide to switch the motor we would have to recheck whether 36S provides a suitable voltage range.

  • Finalize module layout (WxLxH dimensions, volume, rough weight estimation)

    • How we arrange and connect the modules themselves within the pack

    • Do we want to stick with keeping them all in a single pack, or do we want to split it into two packs (regulations allow for two battery enclosures in the vehicles, MAX)

  • Rough idea pack placement within the vehicle itself (imagine vehicle as a 5x2.2x1.6m box)

    • Relates to the above point of the module layout

    • Likely need to interface with other mechanical teams such as Aero, Dynamics, Chassis, etc. to see how much room we have to work with, and where we can fit the pack into

    • Need to sync with Dynamics team as the pack placement may have a relatively significant effect on the center of gravity (CG) of the car

      • May need to estimate weight of the battery pack, as the 19.4kg estimation is for the raw batteries, not including the battery modules themselves

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