An MPC-Based Control Strategy for Electric Vehicle Battery Cooling Considering Energy Saving and Battery Lifespan

In order to keep a lithium-ion battery within optimal temperature range for excellent performance and long lifespan, it is necessary to have an effective control strategy for a battery thermal management system (BTMS) consisting of electric pump, cooling plate and radiator. In this paper, a control-oriented model for BTMS is established, and an intelligent model predictive control (IMPC) strategy is developed by integrating a neural network-based vehicle speed predictor and a target battery temperature adaptor based on Pareto boundaries. The strategy is applied to plug-in electric vehicles operating in electric vehicle mode. Results show its superiority in terms of battery temperature control, battery lifespan extension and energy saving. Under the new European driving cycle, average difference between the real-time battery temperature under the novel IMPC and its target temperature is 0.26 °C, and maximum temperature difference among modules is 1.03 °C. Moreover, compared with the on-off controller, model predictive control (MPC), and MPC with VSP, state of health under IMPC at the end of the driving cycle is 0.016%, 0.012%, and 0.008% higher, respectively. At this moment, the energy consumption of IMPC is 24.5% and 14.1% lower than that of the on-off controller and traditional MPC, respectively.