Testing the Performance of High Capacity Li-Ion Batteries

This work aims at collecting data on the electrochemical behavior of high capacity cells of different chemistries in operative conditions. The final target is to define the most suitable battery for a given kind of usage, in our case neighborhood Electric Vehicle. Four different cells were tested: Li-ion type with Lithium Iron Phosphate cathode (LiFe), Li-ion type with Ni-Mn oxides (LiMn) and two different Li-ion Polymer (LiP) cells. The results obtained during field test show that the LiP cells exhibit lower dynamic polarization resistance with respect to both LiFe and LiMn ones and that the maximum power of LiP cells, in particular at low temperature conditions, is higher. The results suggest this method for a quick comparison (during field application) of different types of high capacity cells and for giving an index about the state of health of a cell.