Fast Identification of LiNMC Cells for Railway Applications

Batteries are a key element in the development of both battery-operated and hybrid trains. For this type of system, the most common anode choice is LTO (lithium titanate), as the adoption of lithium titanate instead of graphite for anodes ensures an unrivaled level of reliability, especially against calendar aging. LTO also ensures prolonged load-cycle lifespans. However, LTO’s known drawbacks involve its high production cost and mediocre energy density, which is mainly due to its high anodic potential compared to graphite. In this study, we perform a rapid identification of an LiNMC (lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt) cell and propose some preliminary scaled HIL (hardware in the loop) and SIL (software in the loop) testing, aiming to verify the possible usage of LiNMC cells for railway applications.