Crash performance study on high-speed electric two wheeler battery enclosure

The growth rate of Electric Vehicles (EVs) industry and the annual production rate have increased significantly over the years. This is due to the development of rechargeable electrical energy storage system (battery pack), which is the main power source for EVs. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) pack is predominantly used across all major vehicle category such as 2 wheelers, 3 wheelers and light commercial vehicle. LIB is one of the high energy-dense sources of volume. However, LIBs have a challenge to poses a risk of short circuits and battery pack explosions, when expose to an external damage. Controlled crash analysis is performed for various velocities ranging from 40 kmph to 70 kmph against an obstruction directly and at an offset from the wheel, so as to mimic the real-world crash of high-speed two-wheelers. The behaviour of the battery enclosure is examined through evaluating the structural integrity of the battery enclosure used in a realistic two-wheeler after crash at various impact velocities. The study focuses on analysing the battery enclosure for structural deformation in mild steel and composite materials. The energy absorption behaviour of the enclosure is investigated through impact simulation. Mild steel is the commonly used material for battery enclosure in EVs. The strategical improvement of EVs battery enclosure design can be done by knowing the influence of materials on weight and crashworthiness. The behaviour of mild steel enclosure is compared with the enclosure made of light weight composites. By decreasing weight and increasing the efficiency, this optimisation not only enhances overall safety, but also improves the vehicle performance. As the electric vehicle landscape evolves, these findings become instrumental in shaping safer, more efficient, and high-performing EVs. The results indicate that composites are better compared to mild steel based on the structural integrity.