Design of a Lithium Ion Battery Pack for 400 MPH Electric Landspeed Racing

Abstract

For more than a decade the Buckeye Bullet landspeed racing team at The Ohio State University's Center for Automotive Research has pushed the absolute limits of electric vehicle racing. From batteries to hydrogen fuel cells, the team holds every national and international speed record in the unlimited class, with top speeds well into the 300 MPH range. The mission statement of the team is to push the technologies of tomorrow to their absolute performance limits. With this mission in mind the team is currently developing the ultimate landspeed electric vehicle, the Buckeye Bullet 3, which will be powered by the latest generation of lithium ion batteries. For the first time since 1899, an electric vehicle will be designed with the intent of directly competing with its fossil fueled counterparts. The team hopes to push the electric landspeed record over 400 MPH and eventually set the ultimate wheel driven record in excess of 450 MPH. This document investigates the design of the lithium ion battery pack with respect to battery cell testing and selection, electrical power performance, system safety design, thermal management, component testing and integration, mechanical packaging, and modeling and simulation. This project reports on and builds upon work on the development of this system from 2009 to 2012. The document concludes with a description of future work needed to complete the battery pack integration and prepare the energy storage systems of the vehicle to break a 400 MPH+ world record.