Development of a plastic Li-ion battery cell for EV applications

Large plastic Li-ion (PLI) cells (25-28 Ah) have been fabricated for electr ic vehicle (EV) applications. The 28 Ah cells show high specific energy (16 0 Wh/kg), high specific power (526 W/kg), excellent round-trip energy effic iency (92%), and a low self-discharge rate (6% in 30 days). A 25 Ah cell of an earlier design has a good cycle-life of up to 750 cycles at 100% depth- of-discharge (DOD) to 80% of its initial capacity. Cycle-life tests of a 28 Ah cell of a later design is in progress. Preliminary safety tests have al so been carried out using 6 Ah cells of a similar electrode design, These g ive very encouraging results for the development of a safe, high-energy PLI battery for EV duty. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.