Effectiveness of battery-supercapacitor combination in electric vehicles

This paper investigates the application of a supercapacitor bank when used as a power buffer to smooth rapid power fluctuations in and out of the battery of an electric or hybrid vehicle. The study considers the simple case where the supercapacitor bank is connected directly in shunt with the battery as well as the case where it is connected through a DC/DC converter that is necessary to achieve optimal performance. The work is illustrated through computer simulations during vehicle acceleration and deceleration. Partial experimental data on a prototype circuit is also shown. Proper design of such a hybrid electrical energy storage system is expected to result in substantial benefits to the well being of the battery bank.