Electrical energy storages and electric vehicles

Core content:

• Introduction to energy storage: why storage of electricity and energy in general is an important topic for the future?
• Overview of battery technology: primary and secondary batteries, basic battery characteristics, conventional secondary battery technologies (lead-acid, Ni-MH etc.), introduction to lithium-ion technology.
• Lithium-ion battery technology for electrical engineers: operation principle and main components of a lithium-ion cell, positive electrode materials, negative electrode materials, other components like electrolytes and separators, safety aspects, lithium-ion battery systems, battery management systems, balancing systems.
• Overview of other energy storage types: super capacitors (double-layer capacitors), superconducting magnet energy storages (SMES), flywheels, hydrogen + fuel cells.
• Introduction of electric vehicles: what are EVs, different types of EVs, the main benefits of EVs and their motivation, the main barriers and obstacles of EVs.
• State-of-the-art EV technologies: charging technologies for passenger cars, buses, other types of vehicles, battery technology in EVs, what kind of technological solutions are used in EVs and why.
• EVs in power systems and smart grids: Charging load of EVs in distribution networks, EVs as controllable loads and electricity storages for the needs of the electrical energy system.

Students having taken the course are expected to have a comprehensive holistic understanding of electrical energy storage options, especially battery technology, and the most important foreseeable electricity storage applications, especially electric vehicles. The students will have a good understanding of lithium-ion battery technology.

More information in Tampere University’s course page.

You can get a digital badge after completing this course.