Battery Changing

Station
Final Design Report

Group 28
Dr J Bumby & Dr Z Racz
03/2014



i
Executive Summary
This report outlines the design for a fully automated battery change station for electric vehicles (EVs).
The station is to instantly recharge the EV by replacing the battery rather than charging it. This is to
overcome one of the main problems with EV ownership, which is short travel range on one full charge.
Once the depleted batteries are removed from the EV they are transported via a conveyor system to
a storage area where the batteries are recharged. Due to the large number required the storage area
takes up a large volume. The roof of this storage area is covered with solar panels in order to
supplement the supply from the National Grid for the large power requirement. The batteries are
lifted from the subterranean conveyor and attached directly into the EV. In order to accommodate
the different types of batteries they will be mounted on a universal tray. The uniform size will allow
for simplification of the conveyor system, and each tray will include the electronics to regulate the
charging of the batteries.
These stations are to be built on major trunk roads in order to both have the greatest effect on
motorists, and easy access to high-power electricity supplies. The service will be paid for by either
companies or individual motorists by a recurring monthly contract, which will be priced competitively
with battery leasing schemes provided by EV manufacturers. Under contract, the batteries will be
owned by the station rather than the motorist.
The storage area consists of a series of angled shelving units with powered rails running down the
inside. The depleted batteries are loaded into the rear and are charged as they slide down the shelf.
The fully charged batteries are removed from the front when required. Each type of battery will be
stored on a different shelf to ensure that there is a charged battery ready for any type of EV wishing
to use the station.
The conveyor system has a modular design, with a series of powered rollers and low-friction tables to
change the direction of the battery. There will be a series of these tables mounted on pistons along
the open faces of the storage area to allow for safe transfer. There is also a specialised table around
the mounting point underneath the EV to align the battery to millimetre precision. There is a hydraulic
scissor lift system to raise and lower the batteries into and out of the EV. The battery will be held in
place by a manufacturer-designed quick release system, however there is an example system
described.
In order to ensure the vehicle is correctly positioned a conveyor system was designed. The EV can be
driven onto tracks which can manoeuvre it with millimetre precision. The conveyors can be realigned
to accommodate vehicles with different tyre widths and wheelbases, from information relayed
wirelessly from the EV. In order to ensure the driver is familiar with the system there will also be a
walkthrough provided at first use, as well as clear signs and signals throughout the conveyor building.
The conveyor building has been designed to be aesthetically pleasing, since it is likely customers would
be drawn towards using a well-designed system.
Due to the top-down nature of this design, further refinement and analysis of the design would be
required before manufacture, however design for manufacture has been considered throughout.
Where possible, existing technology and construction methods have been the basis for the design,
and the majority of the system has a modular design to increase capacity where necessary. The design
described here is for a battery change station expecting a battery turnover of 450 per day, however
by adding more car bays and storage the system could be easily modified to accommodate a much
greater flow of customers.

ii
The design requires a reasonable amount of cooperation from EV manufacturers, since a quick release
mechanism would have to be built into the vehicles. However the system can cope with the difference
of batteries, which is has been the main problem with previous attempts at designing this sort of
system. It is likely that this system would attract government funding since it is promoting the use of
low-carbon transport, and also is providing green energy from the solar panels. All of these factors
increase the feasibility for the long-term success of this project.


iii
Contents
Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. i
Nomenclature ......................................................................................................................................... v
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1
2 Control Process ............................................................................................................................... 2
2.1 Design Concept and Detail Design .......................................................................................... 3
2.2 Commercial Considerations .................................................................................................... 3
3 Battery Storage ............................................................................................................................... 4
3.1 System Requirements ............................................................................................................. 4
3.2 Design Concepts ...................................................................................................................... 4
3.3 Design Development ............................................................................................................... 4
3.4 Detail Design ........................................................................................................................... 5
3.4.1 Storage Rack .................................................................................................................... 5
3.4.2 Rollers ............................................................................................................................. 8
4 Battery Charging and Electrical Considerations ............................................................................ 10
4.1 Design Concepts .................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Design Development ............................................................................................................. 10
4.2.1 Solution 1 Plug in ........................................................................................................ 10
4.2.2 Solution 2 - Wireless ..................................................................................................... 10
4.2.3 Solution 3 Powered Rails ............................................................................................ 12
5 Battery Conveyor System .............................................................................................................. 15
5.1 Design Concepts .................................................................................................................... 15
5.2 Detail Design ......................................................................................................................... 15
5.2.1 Rollers ........................................................................................................................... 15
5.2.2 Change Direction Table ................................................................................................. 16
5.2.3 Battery Positioning Table .............................................................................................. 17
5.2.4 Lifting Mechanism ......................................................................................................... 17
5.2.5 Overall Layout ............................................................................................................... 18
5.3 Building and Construction Allowances ................................................................................. 19
6 Battery Handling ........................................................................................................................... 21
6.1 User Requirements ............................................................................................................... 21
6.2 Design Concepts .................................................................................................................... 21
6.2.1 Battery Attachment ...................................................................................................... 21
6.2.2 Battery Movement ........................................................................................................ 23
6.3 Design Development and Detail Design ................................................................................ 23

iv
6.3.1 Battery Tray ................................................................................................................... 24
6.3.2 Battery Attachment ...................................................................................................... 25
6.3.3 Lifter .............................................................................................................................. 27
6.3.4 Changes to Battery Packs .............................................................................................. 29
6.4 Design for Manufacture and Sustainability .......................................................................... 30
6.5 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 30
7 Vehicle Conveyor System .............................................................................................................. 31
7.1 User Requirements ............................................................................................................... 31
7.2 Design Concepts .................................................................................................................... 31
7.3 Detail Design ......................................................................................................................... 32
7.3.1 Belt ................................................................................................................................ 32
7.3.2 Safety Rails .................................................................................................................... 33
7.3.3 Safety ............................................................................................................................ 34
8 Exterior Design .............................................................................................................................. 35
8.1 Design Development ............................................................................................................. 35
8.1.1 Concept 1 ...................................................................................................................... 35
8.1.2 Concept 2 ...................................................................................................................... 35
8.1.3 Concept 3 ...................................................................................................................... 36
8.2 Final design Choice ................................................................................................................ 36
9 Payment System............................................................................................................................ 37
10 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 37
11 Table of References .................................................................................................................. 39
12 Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 41
I. Design Brief ............................................................................................................................... 41
II. Process Flowchart ..................................................................................................................... 41
III. Source Code for Numerical Analysis ..................................................................................... 42
12.1.1 Solving the angle for the storage area .......................................................................... 42
12.1.2 Solving the roller dimensions ........................................................................................ 43
IV. EV Dimensions....................................................................................................................... 44
V. Engineering Drawings ........................................................................................................... 45
VI. Project Plan ........................................................................................................................... 53



v
Nomenclature
Force ()
Frictional Coefficient
Mass ()
Acceleration (
2
)
Gravitational Acceleration (
1
)
Time ()
Distance ()
Incline ()
Continuous Beam Coefficient
Length ()
Youngs Modulus ()
Second moment of area

(
4
)
Thickness ()
Width ()
Mass Distribution (
1
)
Stress ()
Distance from Neutral Axis ()
Bending Moment ()
Radius ()
Natural Frequency

(
1
)
Inductance ()
Capacitance ()
Relative Magnetic Permeability of Conductor

(
1
)
Permeability of Conductor
0
(
1
)
Skin Depth ()
Resistivity ()
Electric Frequency ( 1)
Power ()
Current ()
Resistance ()
Cross Sectional Area (
2
)
Pressure ()

Electric Vehicle EV
Radio Frequency Identification RFID
Active Reader Passive Tag ARPT
Active Reader Active Tag ARAT
American Wiring Gauge AWG






1
1 Introduction
This design report aims to solve problems created by the fact that current electric vehicles (EVs) have
a range of only around 60-100
1
miles. The solution presented here is to build battery change stations
along major trunk roads, which will replace depleted batteries for fresh ones with a speedy and fully
automated process. The system can be thought of as a petrol station for electric vehicles. The
consumer will not have ownership of the physical batteries, and will instead lease the batteries from
the network of charging stations, for a cost which is competitive with current manufacturer battery
leasing schemes.
This solution comprises of a conveyor system which the motorist drives onto, which aligns the car
above a mechanical lifter which will remove the battery from underneath the EV. This lifter will then
lower, sending the battery to a charging and storage area via a conveyor system. A fully charged
battery will then be positioned over the lifter, and subsequently raised into the EV. After the battery
has been loaded the EV is free to drive away. The battery change will only be permitted if the EV has
an active subscription to the service, which will be checked by scanning the RFID tag added to the car
at time of commencement of subscription.

Figure 1.1 - Overall station design

1
A report on this can be found at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/columnists/mike-
rutherford/9525189/Electric-cars-the-truth-about-the-cost-and-range.html

2
2 Control Process
The control process for the whole station is summarised in Figure 2.1. The flowchart shows the path
an EV driver, a depleted battery and a charged battery take while within the station. These are
highlighted by the blue, black and grey paths respectively.
RFID communication is incorporated into the design of the station to ascertain certain dimensions of
the EV and monitor the batteries which are being held in the storage area. This allows the service to
be automated as nobody will need to be employed to monitor the batteries or to position the vehicle
conveyors.

Figure 2.1- Flowchart Detailing Station Operating Procedures


3
2.1 Design Concept and Detail Design
The RFID tags and readers can be either active or passive (Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia, 2014).
Passive tags require activation by a reader in order to start operation and be read. Passive tags are
usually read-only; these allow the reader access to a serial number which can be entered into a
database by the user, or WORM (write once, read many); these tags can only store one piece of
information which cannot be rewritten but can be read multiple times. Active tags require a small
battery as they periodically transmit their identification signal. These tags can be read-write storage
types; they allow information to be overwritten and stored to be transmitted (Bonsor, n.d.).
The RFID readers are also classed as active or passive, however this design only utilises active readers
which transmit interrogator signals when required.
There are two types of RFID system which are used in this design:
Active Reader Passive Tag (ARPT) system to read in information of the EV.
Active Reader Active Tag (ARAT) system to monitor the depleted batteries while recharging.
The ARPT system will be used as an EV enters the station. A passive WORM tag installed in the vehicle
will store data relating to its dimensions. When this is scanned and read, the vehicle conveyors can
align to the correct wheelbase and the correct battery can be selected from the storage area.
The ARAT system will be used to monitor the charging of depleted batteries. The active read-write tag
will store data whilst periodically overwriting it to ensure factors such as charge level, battery wear,
current, voltage and temperature are accurately monitored. The tag and relevant monitoring
equipment will be stored in the battery tray, discussed in section 3. The information accessed by the
reader can alert an external user, i.e. a maintenance worker, to prevent any damage to the battery.
The standard range for this type of system can be up to 2m. This means that each tag doesnt require
its own reader and these are mounted directly onto the storage rack to allow close range to the battery
tray.
2.2 Commercial Considerations
The price for an ARPT system would be very cheap as each passive tag will be approximately 0.60
and the single reader will be in the range of 300 to 600 (RFID Journal, 2014). This means that these
tags can be quickly implemented and installed into the EV on commencement of the contract.
The cost for the ARAT system is significantly more as the active read-write tags cost in the range of
15 to 50. Since we expect battery number to be 420 assuming a factor of safety of 1.5 to assure that
the station is in surplus, this can lead to an overall average figure of 13,650. In addition to this,
42,000 would be required for the purchase of 140 readers in order to monitor this system.


4
3 Battery Storage
3.1 System Requirements
The main requirement of the storage system is to compliment the rest of the system to provide a quick
and safe battery change. In order to ensure this, it must be easy to remove batteries from storage.
There must be a simple to implement charging system, and the entire system must be easy to maintain
and easy to extend.
3.2 Design Concepts
The first concept is very similar to the way shoes are stored in bowling alleys, with each battery being
stored in a slot in a wall. There would be a lifting machine, like a forklift, which would move the
individual batteries from their designated storage area to the machine to install it into the vehicle.
This would allow for each battery to have an individual charging unit.
The second concept is similar to a vending machine, where the batteries are stored and charged on a
shelf with similar batteries. When a battery of one type is required, it is removed from the front of the
shelf, while the battery it is replacing is returned to the back of the shelf, and all the other batteries
will slide forward to fill the space vacated. The batteries would be moved to the lifting system by a
conveyor system.
3.3 Design Development
The second concept was ultimately decided upon, since getting the batteries in and out of storage
would be a much simpler. For a battery change station which has two bays, it was calculated that the
storage area must have a capacity for at least 420 batteries. After considering different combinations
of dimensions, it was decided that each shelf would have space for 10 batteries, and the storage area
would be 5 shelves high. Therefore there would need to be at least 9 shelving units to accommodate
the batteries. Since the building is likely to be built on relatively cheap land, next to major trunk roads
2
,
building out is likely to be far cheaper than building up. This has the added benefit of leaving a large
roof space, which will allow for a greater number of solar panels on the roof. Not only will this have
the effect of offsetting the cost of charging the batteries, it will also have a good public relations effect,
increasing the publics perception of EVs being environmentally friendly. Figure 3.1 shows an initial
concept for the shelving unit, which is 7 shelves high.

Figure 3.1 - Initial concept for the shelving unit

2
The charging stations are intended to be first built on trunk roads, however in the future there may be demand
for them in cities. Due to the increased price of land within major metropolitan areas, it may be cheaper to
design taller racks.

5
3.4 Detail Design
3.4.1 Storage Rack
The angle required for the batteries to move under their own weight can be calculated by considering
the forces acting on the battery, as shown in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2 - Force diagram for battery on a slope
By resolving forces parallel to the slope, and perpendicularly, an equation relating mass, angle and
acceleration can be formed. By assuming constant acceleration and substituting = 2/
2
the
following equation can be obtained.
=
2
()
(3.1)
Here the time taken for the battery to move along a distance is given as a function of the angle .
Since the trays are 1500mm, and allowing for a 100mm gap between them, it was decided the time
taken for the battery to slide to the next index should be 2 seconds, the required angle needs to be
5
o
.
The rollers were to be mounted on a single beam, which would as a result, undergo a large bending
moment. In order to spread the weight, 5 upright supports would be on both sides of the rollers. Since
the angle at which the shelf is at is very small, its effect was ignored and the weight distribution and
peak bending moments in the beam were found using the continuous beam model (Steel Construction
Institute, 1994). Figure 3.3 shows the model with the required coefficients needed to find the reaction
forces and bending moments.

Figure 3.3 - Continuous beam model with coefficients
The vertical coefficients in Figure 3.3 are for the reaction force, which is simply given by

, (3.2)
where is the force acting over the span of length , and is the continuous beam coefficient. The
length of each span is 3.2m, and the force can be approximated to

= 3.2(

), (3.3)

0
.
3
9
3

0
.
3
9
3

1
.
1
4
3

1
.
1
4
3

0
.
9
2
9

-0.107 -0.071
-0.107
0.077 0.036 0.036
0.077
R1 R2
R3 R4
R5

6
where is the gravitational field strength and is the mass. The battery term can be substituted
straight in as 187.5 kgm
-1
, assuming a 600Kg battery of length 1.6m. This is acceptable since the
batteries will all be the same way round on the racks. Similarly, the roller term is 9.4 kgm
-1
, since each
roller weighs 7.5 kg over a 400mm distance. Therefore the reaction force for each span is simply

=
6182.
In order to calculate the required dimensions of the vertical columns, Eulers buckling formula,
equation (2.4), should be considered.
=

2
(3.4)
Here, is the youngs modulus,

is the effective length of a column and is the second moment of

area. Since the column here will be fully fixed at the base and pin-jointed at the top,

2
. The
second moment of area for a square column is given by equation (2.5).

12
(3.5)
Here is the thickness and is the width of the cross section, with being parallel to the direction
of the moment. By combining the equations, the force on the column is provided by equation (3.6).
=

6
2
(3.6)
Since each column supports 5 shelves, there are five different forces applied to the column. At the
point where each shelf is attached to the column the force increases. At the top of the column only
one shelf is being supported, whereas the column below where the second shelf attaches has to
support the weight of two shelves. However at this point the length of the column decreases, since a
fraction of entire column is supporting the combined weight. Figure 3.4 shows this concept pictorially.

Figure 3.4 - Diagram showing forces in column supporting (a) one shelf and (b) two shelves
Since it is simpler to manufacture a prismatic column than one with a varying cross sectional area, the
column must be able withstand the maximum stress. By considering Eulers buckling formula, it can
be shown that this occurs when the product of the length squared and the sum of forces is maximum,
i.e.
2
2

2
(3.7)
F F F
2F
F
L
L2
(a) (b)

7
This maximum is where the middle shelf attaches, where the column is supporting the weight of three
shelves. The exact length varies due to the angle of the shelves, however the stress always peaks at
the central shelf. Due to the several flaws with this analysis
3
and time pressure on this project, a factor
of safety of 10 was used when considering the force over the span, to ensure the columns are over-
engineered rather than likely to fail. The final equation generated from this analysis is therefore shown
below.
= 10 3 6182 =

6(
3
)
2
(3.8)
Here,
3
is the distance from the foot of the column to the lowest point of the pin supporting the
centre shelf. It was decided that the columns should be designed from L Section so that they could be
connected together to provide extra stability. By considering standard dimensions for an L Section
(Beardmore, 2006) would help reduce the cost of the project, as there are many foundries which will
produce it, whereas ordering custom sections would be more costly. The outermost and innermost
columns should be constructed from 200x200x24mm L Section steel, whilst the other two columns
should be from 250x250x28mm L section, since they support a greater proportion of the load. The
final design is shown in figure 2.5.

Figure 3.5 - Final design for the shelving unit
The L section has a second set of holes drilled on the side not directly attached to the rollers, in order
to be bolted to the next rack along, providing rigidity in a different plane. These holes are drilled off
the centreline so that the bolts can be tightened without the two pieces of L section creating a box
preventing the construction workers from getting wrenches in. These bolts increase the risk of
electrocution, since if there was a contact between the power rail and the roller rack then the entire
group shelving units would be electrified. In order to prevent this the bolts will have rubber washers
as well as metal ones to insulate, in case there is a failure in the circuit breaker.

3
This analysis ignores the weight of the beam itself, along with the fact that the theoretical Euler buckling load
is higher than the buckling load in practice. With more time the dimensions for the column cross section should
be calculated using a rearrangement of the Perry-Robertson equation, and equation (3.8) should be amended
to include the mass of the beam. The analysis also assumes that the reaction force at the connecting pin is spread
equally over the cross section of the column. Final analysis should involve finite element analysis.

8
The racks are connected to the columns by means of a series of pins. These pins are made of two
threaded parts, which can be tightened with a wrench on each end. The neck at the edge has a
hexagonal bolt end cut into it, which will accommodate standard wrenches. In addition, there will be
a gap under the lowest shelf of at least 0.6m to allow access for construction and maintenance workers
to all of the columns. Although this is not enough headroom for standing, the increased cost of raising
the rack to head height would be too great, and it was therefore decided to be impractical.
The power rails, discussed in Section 4, are insulated and connected to the shelf by sprung connectors.
The power rail is thin enough so there is some flexibility, and the springs are such that the gap between
the rails is slightly less than the width of the tray. When the tray is put on the shelf the rails are forced
apart, and the springs allow the rails to be fully in contact with the rolling contacts on the side of the
trays. This ensures an electrical connection is made and the batteries are able to charge.
3.4.2 Rollers
The individual beam can be accurately described with a very simple model (Toll, 2013), shown in Figure
3.6.

Figure 3.6 - Bending moment diagram
The reaction forces can be found by symmetry, and the peak bending moment is found in the centre
of the beam, and has magnitude

2
8
. The uniformly distributed load of magnitude W represents the
mass of the portion of the battery and tray which it is supporting. There are rollers of two different
widths, 2.1m and 1.6m. The centrelines of the rollers are separated by 200mm and the tray has
dimensions (2mx1.5m). Therefore, by dividing the length of the tray by the distance supported by each
roller, it is safe to assume that the rollers will take
1
10
and
2
15
of the weight of the trays each,
respectively. Since the maximum battery weight is not likely to exceed 600kg, W for the rollers are
280.296Nm
-1
and 490.50Nm
-1
respectively.
As seen in the L1 Mechanics of Systems lecture course (Toll, 2013), for a beam under load, stress ()
is given by

(3.9)
Where is the second moment of area and is the bending moment at position from the neutral
axis (Toll, 2013). The second moment of area for a hollow tube of radius r and thickness t is given by

4
(
4
( )
4
) (3.10)
By substituting equation (3.10) into equation (3.9) and rearranging, the radius required to prevent the
beam from yielding is given by

2
+
3

4
=

4
(3.11)

2

W/Unit length

2


9
This equation can be solved for or once the bending moment for the beam is calculated, since the
yield stress for any given material can be found from data tables.
By expanding the bending moment found above into equation (3.11), a finalised equation can be
found, with the minimum radius and thickness to be found numerically, using the program in Appendix
III. This is shown in equation (3.12).

4
3
6
2

2
+4
3

4
=
2

(3.12)

Since the rollers had been already created in the CAD model with a 100mm radius, it was decided to
leave this unchanged.
The tensile yield strength of A36 mild steel is 250MPa (Engineering Toolbox, n.d.), which is far greater
than the stress that would exist in a 100x1.6mm tube, a commonly manufactured tube size.
Overcompensating for the stress will also reduce chance of fatigue failure, although reducing the
thickness of the steel will help keep the cost of the project down, so a balance needed to be reached.


10
4 Battery Charging and Electrical Considerations
In order for this proposed station to continuously service electric vehicles, a method of recharging
depleted batteries is necessary. There are many ways to tackle this problem when only one battery is
to be charged, however on a larger scale these methods can become inefficient or unsafe. This is due
to the electric batteries stocked in the station being rated at different maximum voltages and currents,
and allowing high voltages and currents in the charging system will lead to heating losses and safety
concerns due to the high temperatures. The required power would be sourced straight from the
National Grid with additional power being provided from an array of solar panels located on the roof
of the storage area. There is also the potential to incorporate this station into the upcoming Smart
Grids
4
, which would allow for the potential of significant government backing.
4.1 Design Concepts
After some initial research, it was decided that there were two possible solutions to the problem
outlined above:
1. High voltage plug in charging; a wired method of quickly recharging EV batteries similar to
those found in most charging stations.
2. Inductive charging; a wireless method of charging EV batteries.
However, following further development of these solutions, it was found that both were insufficient
to meet the user requirements, and this will be discussed further in Section 4.3. A new solution was
then chosen, capable of meeting the user requirement:
3. Charging via a powered rail; a method of connecting depleted batteries to a single rail in order
to recharge, similar to overhead lines for trams or the Third Rail system for trains (Wikipedia,
2014).
4.2 Design Development
4.2.1 Solution 1 Plug in
This option was deemed inefficient and dangerous, and was therefore rejected. This is because each
of the batteries would have needed a set of cables to recharge, each carrying a voltage of 400-500V
and a current of 100-150A. This means that each cable would be carrying 75kW, and in order to allow
for this the cables were copper conductors specified to 1/0 AWG
5
would be required. These cables
would have a resistance of 0.3
1

These cables incur large electrical losses (1.1kW), which cause a significant rise in temperature. They
could also create a trip hazard for anyone within the storage area itself.
4.2.2 Solution 2 - Wireless
A neater solution to this problem was to inductively charge all the batteries while they are sat in their
connecting trays in storage. This was a more elegant proposal as it did not utilise any trailing wires,
but would also be more efficient as less energy would be dissipated as heat.
This method of wireless charging involves the creation of an inductive couple between the power
source and the electrical device. This induction charging system would work by excitation of an
inductive coil with an alternating current, generating an electromagnetic field. Once a secondary coil
is introduced into this field, an alternating current would be induced, inductively transferring power.

4
A summary of Smart Grid Technology can be found at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_grid
5
This specification describes a copper cable, 8.25mm in diameter, using American Wiring Gauge

11
The power transferred this way is inversely proportional to the distance between both coils; as the
distance increases, less power is transferred and a lower magnitude current is generated. As a result,
large amounts of energy is dissipated to the surroundings, so the efficiency is lower compared to direct
contact. This would result in an increase in the time taken to charge a battery.
In order to increase the efficiency during the energy transfer, both the primary and secondary coils
can be tuned to resonate at the same frequency. Resonance can be achieved by selecting components
which satisfy Equation 4.1

=
1

(4.1)
Here

is the natural frequency, is the inductance and is the capacitance. Since the primary coil
would resonate, it allows for the energy held in the magnetic field to dissipate less slowly, allowing
the secondary coil to collect most of it. This only occurs when the natural frequency,

, is equal for
the primary and secondary circuits. In this instance, less energy would be dissipated as heat; common
resonant inductors have an efficiency of 80%.
An overall diagram of the layout of the inductive charging system can be seen in figure 3.1. The station
would receive power directly from the national grid in the order of 2MW at 50Hz. There is also power
which is delivered from the solar panels at 320W DC per module. The area of the roof of the storage
facility is adequate to hold 261 modules with dimensions 1.38mx0.9m, and each would be able to
change the angle it sits at, in order to achieve the maximum power output from solar energy.
Electricity generated via this method would be able to offset other energy costs, as it is generated
onsite. In order to feed the primary winding with an AC current, the current from the solar panels
would have needed to be converted so it oscillates at 50Hz. A solid state converter would be sufficient
to handle the input power and output at 50Hz (Witricity, n.d.).

12

Figure 4.1 - Block diagram for the wireless charger
However, when the storage area design was finalised to steel as opposed to concrete, this concept
could no longer be implemented. This is due to the fact that the leakage flux, however minimised,
would magnetise the storage area. This provides both huge power losses, as well as posing a serious
safety hazard.
4.2.3 Solution 3 Powered Rails
This system uses a set of two cylindrical conducting rails which are mounted onto the storage rack and
run alongside the battery whilst in its tray. One of these rails will be connected to an AC supply and
the other will be grounded, so the battery will begin to recharge as it comes into contact with both
rails. It will continuously charge as it moves down the row of the storage rack since it will not lose
contact with the rails. There will be a step-down transformer before each set of rails to change the
high source voltage to 230V. This will minimise any damage caused to the battery due to overcharging.
Since the amount of current flowing through the rails is very high, they need to be constructed from
an appropriate material and be of the correct thickness. Aluminium was decided to be the best metal
to construct the rails as it is easily manufactured and meets the requirements listed above. It was
decided that 4/0 AWG
6
aluminium cables would be the best material. Since a high alternating current
will be flowing through the rails, the 4/0 AWG aluminium cables would be able to withstand the high
current and minimise the skin effect common in these types of conductors.

6
This specification describes a stranded aluminium cable which has a diameter of 11.7mm


13
The skin effect is characterised by current flowing on the outside of the conductor without actually
penetrating it too far beneath the surface. This leads to a high current density on the surface of the
conductor which radially decreases towards the centre of the conductor. The depth at which the
current density has decreased by 37% is known as the skin depth (). Since the 4/0 AWG cable is
stranded, it allows the current to fully flow through the conductor, therefore minimising this effect.
For a cable such as this, the skin depth is calculated using Equation (4.2).
=
2

0
(4.2)
Here is the resistivity, is the frequency of the current,

is the relative magnetic permeability of

the conductor and
0
is the permeability of free space. The resistivity of aluminium at 20C is 2.65x10
-
8
m (Engineering Toolbox, n.d.), therefore the skin depth for aluminium is 10.3mm. The resistance,
R, of the cable can be approximately calculated using Equation (4.3).

(4.3)
Here D is the diameter of the conductor. For the stranded cable the resistance is calculated to be 4.61
m. Due to the high current, there will be a lot of heat generated from power losses which could pose
a serious threat. The amount of power lost is given by Equation (4.4).
=
2
(4.4)
The amount of current (I) flowing through the rail will be a maximum 1500A as there are 10 batteries
per row. Substituting the current and resistance into equation (4.4), there is a heating loss of roughly
10kW per rail. This can pose serious electrical or heat risks to anybody working in close proximity to
the storage area. Therefore, a thermal and electrical insulator was added around the rails as this would
absorb any heat losses to the surroundings. However a small area was left uninsulated to allow the
battery tray to come into contact. If anyone were to accidently touch a rail, the risk posed to them
would be reduced by this, though additional protection, through implementation of circuit breakers
would increase this protection further.
Power is transferred from the rails to the battery via a connecting tray. The connecting tray contains
all the relevant circuitry required to fully charge the battery:
A rectifier to transform the alternating current into direct current
RFID and battery monitoring equipment mentioned in section 1
An intelligent charger similar to that found in an EV to control the charge levels of the battery
and to cease charging once it is at 80%. A solid state relay could be used to achieve this.
The initial design for the tray is shown below in Figure 4.2. It shows copper pads mounted on spring
loaded pistons; these would allow for permanent contact between the rail and the pad. A connection
would be made from the pads to the internal circuitry within the tray. However there were problems
with this design; the constant movement of the batteries would lead to the copper pads wearing out
very quickly and they would therefore need frequent replacement. As well as this, there was also a
dangerous risk of sparking when the copper conductor comes close to the charged rail. Since the tray
would have to slowly squeeze its way into the rack, the close proximity and extended time between
both conductors could cause a spark to occur.

14

Figure 4.2 - Initial tray design
The design for the tray was subsequently finalised and is shown in Figure 4.3. This design features
rolling aluminium contacts along the edge of the tray. These allow for movement with minimalized
friction and also reduce the effect of sparking as the time taken to squeeze in between the rails will
have decreased. Brush contacts will be included within the tray to transfer the current from the rolling
contacts on the tray.

Figure 4.3 - Final design for the battery tray


15
5 Battery Conveyor System
From the early stages of our design development, it was noted that a key factor to be considered was
the movement of the batteries, which were both discharged and charged, between the storage area
and the location where they would be installed into the vehicle. Certain elements of the design, such
as the minimum time for changes to be able to occur and the overall dimensions the station, would
determine the manner in which the system operated. Additionally, due to the nature of the design
there were extra features that needed to be accounted for and it led to the following specification list
for the battery handling system:
Efficient movement of batteries between the storage area and installation locations, whilst
still being safe.
Easily extendable for stations of varying sizes or number of lanes.
Strong enough to be able to withstand the movement of batteries weighing up to 600kg each.
Be able to be constructed in a compact area to reduce amounts of groundwork required for
construction.
5.1 Design Concepts
Having decided on these specifications, two systems were seen as plausible. The first would be a single
conveyor between the storage area and installation location, which could travel in both directions
acting in a discrete manner. The second being a continuous loop system, which would work by
transporting batteries from the storage area, to the installation area, then back into the other side of
the storage area. These systems are illustrated in Figure 5.1.

Figure 5.1 - Concepts for the conveyor system
5.2 Detail Design
5.2.1 Rollers
Having decided that the battery transportation system would act in a continuous manner, it was
necessary to consider the possible methods of moving the battery around the circuit. It was decided
that for any movement over distance in excess of a few metres, a system of rollers would be used,
similar to those that can be seen on luggage carousels or in warehouses. These rollers are made from
varying lengths of 100mm diameter 1.6mm thickness steel, which was deemed to be strong enough
by considering beam theory across a hollow cylinder, see Section 3.4.2. Having identified that a steel
tube of thickness 1mm would be sufficient, the nearest standard size of tube had 1.6mm thickness so
this was chosen. Although this alone would create a beam that was both strong enough and
lightweight, the low coefficient of friction between the battery trays and the steel would mean the
accuracy of delivery would be low. In order to combat this effect, it was decided that the rollers should
be coated in a layer of vulcanized rubber, which would greatly increase the amount of friction between
Storage Area
Installation
Area
Storage Area
Installation
Area

16
the rollers and trays. At each end of the roller a solid steel section would be installed in order to
improve rigidity, and a ball bearing race would also be installed to allow for low friction movement.
The final roller design can be seen here in Figure 5.2. In order to ensure that the batteries continue to
move through the system, small electric motors would be positioned every 5 rollers, powering the
rollers and helping transport the trays. These electric motors would be connected to the rollers via a
small drive belt, in order to ensure good power transfer. This system is particularly important in order
to move the batteries up the return path to the higher end of the storage rack.

Figure 5.2 - A pair of rollers
5.2.2 Change Direction Table
A secondary issue that was encountered was deciding upon a method to change the direction of the
battery as it moved through the system, to allow it to navigate corners. Two obvious solutions were
noted for this initially; firstly that the batteries would travel around the corners, much like the way a
car does at a junction, secondly that the batteries orientation relative to the storage area would not
change as it travelled around the system. Although the first of these two solutions seemed more
intuitive it was found that during initial design numerous challenges and flaws arose when considering
implementation of this system, as it provided low accuracy in positioning of the tray, along with being
relatively bulky as it required a large amount of space to turn the battery. Conversely, the second
option could be compact as it only required a space the size of the tray to change its direction whilst
also granting the opportunity for much more precise control of the battery tray through the system.
Having decided that this was the most appropriate method for changing the direction of the battery,
various options were considered for the way in which this would be implemented and Figure 5.3 shows
the final chosen design.

Figure 5.3 - Change direction table

17
The two perpendicular sets of powered wheels are each able to be raised and lowered independantly
of one another. This allows a battery to move in from one direction, with that set of wheels risen,
before these lower and the other set rise, allowing for the battery to be moved onwards through the
system. This did however lead to there being a requirement for rollers of different length; finalised at
1600mm and 2100mm, to allow for the two different orientations of the battery. Protective blanking
plates would additionally be fitted on the sides of the table where there was not a set of rollers to
ensure the batteries were unable to fall off of the conveyor. Otherwise this could pose a serious risk
to both the equipment and any employees.
5.2.3 Battery Positioning Table
Once the batteries had been transported from the storage area to the installation area, it was
necessary to design a method of accurately positioning the batteries prior to their installation. Figure
5.4 shows the final design, where the four wheels found at the corners of the table are each
independently mobile on their axles. This means that the battery is able to freely move both laterally
and rotationally, allowing for accurate positioning prior to the lifter (which rises through the gap found
in the centre of the device) raising, installing the battery into the electric vehicle above. The small
cylinders that can be seen are captive ball bearings, which allow low friction movement both laterally
and rotationally.

Figure 5.4 - Battery positioning table
5.2.4 Lifting Mechanism
In order to retrieve the batteries from the storage area, the same change direction tables that were
described earlier are positioned at each end of the storage area and mounted on four hydraulic
pistons, each positioned at one of the four corners of the table. This system allows for rapid and
precise raising and lowering in order to collect batteries from the correct height of the storage area.
Three of the different potential heights of this system can be seen below in Figure 5.5.

18

Figure 5.5 - The lifting mechanism in three states: (a) Compressed (b) Half raised (c) Fully raised
5.2.5 Overall Layout
The final layout of the conveyor system is shown in Figure 5.6. This system, in summary can be seen
as the simplest, yet most efficient method of transmission of batteries around the system. Due to the
standardised nature of the trays within which the batteries are located it allows for a single conveyor
system and battery storage system, meaning changes don't need to be made for alternate battery
sizes. Additionally, this method is incredibly flexible, due to its modular construction, and therefore
allows for simple enlargement.

Figure 5.6 - The final battery transportation system placed within the stations groundwork. The two lines of
tables for raising can be seen as well as the rollers to transport the batteries
(a)
(b) (c)

19
5.3 Building and Construction Allowances
Throughout the entirety of our design process, certain factors were considered in order to ensure that
eventual construction would be as cost efficient as possible. For example, whilst components were
being chosen for parts, current standard dimensions were used to ensure easy sourcing of materials.
In particular, for the roller design, it was found that for a 100mm diameter tube, 1mm thickness would
have been more difficult to source than 1.6mm
7
. Additionally, the entire design had aimed to be
modular in nature. This would allow for easy variation for future station layouts, and enable a variety
of overall capacity of this system, as extra bays would then be able to be added, or a larger storage
area to be constructed with little additional design.
The first major design allowance to consider was whether it would be better to have the electric
vehicles rise up on a ramp prior to the battery change, as this would mean that little excavation would
be required, with the majority of the works occurring at or above ground level, or conversely having
the driver remain at ground level throughout the process. From an aesthetic perspective the second
was decided upon, as it would reduce the overall profile of the design. Driver acceptance of the
scheme was also considered, and it was thought that by allowing the driver to remain at ground level
for the entirety of the exchange procedure would reduce reluctance towards the idea whilst also
increasing the safety for passengers, as in the event of an emergency, or malfunction with the
machinery the occupants of the vehicles would simply be able to step out of their vehicles and walk
out of the exchange station. Another option that was considered was to drive the car onto a lifter at
ground level, prior to raising it above the exchange position, though the increased time that this would
take to position the car appropriately was deemed too great, so this concept was quickly discounted.
Additionally, as the main storage area for the battery racks is sloped, opting to keep the vehicles at
ground level is beneficial as it reduces the total amount the far end of the storage rack needs to be
risen by from 1.25m to only 0.4m on the far end of the storage area, as the ideal amount to sink the
lower area by is 0.85m. Therefore the total ground works required for the installation of the station
are those that can be seen in figure 4.7. An additional slope can also be found on the nearside of this
design, and allows for the return of batteries up to the higher end of the storage rack. It is intended
that the majority of the rest of the station would be manufactured off site and installed once these
initial foundations are completed. As the entire system is modular by design, a variety of sizes of
station can be created, dependant on the requirements of the operator at the location of the station
implementation. For sites with limited dimensions, the storage area can be located away from the
installation area, providing there is the ability to construct the conveyor system for moving the
batteries between storage and installation.

7
This can be found from many building suppliers, for example: http://www.themetalstore.co.uk/

20

Figure 5.7 - The complete groundwork required for the station
Besides the works required constructing the main body of the station, the main challenge outside of
this is ensuring there is adequate electrical power supply to the station, as it will potentially require a
very large supply
8
at peak times. It is possible that this project would be able to be built with support
from the national grid however, as it is a prime candidate for inclusion into the UK governments aim
to move towards smart grids for the distribution of electricity on a national scale. These stations
would be good to implement into this system, as they have the opportunity to control charging rates
so that greater power is required overnight, whilst the wholesale price of electricity is lower. This has
the benefit of both reducing the price for running the station whilst also gaining additional support
from national governments. Additionally, by fitting solar panels on the roof of the main storage area,
providing additional power during the day, when wholesale electricity prices are more expensive,
along with improving the green image of the station. These issues of electricity supply should
however be minimised as it is likely that these stations would be situated along main roads through
the country, which are often also the location of large power distribution networks, so it should be
possible to ensure adequate power supplies to each of these stations, as it the power requirements
predicted, in the region of 2MW, is not uncommon for medium scale industrial applications.


8
As discussed in Section 3, if all batteries are required to be charged at the same point, this can be in excess of
2MW.

21
6 Battery Handling
6.1 User Requirements
Following the movement of the batteries from the storage area to the installation area, it was found
that a system was required which was able to remove the discharged batteries from the vehicles,
deliver them to the transportation system and reinsert a fully charged battery in the waiting vehicle.
It was decided early on the main requirement for the system was to change batteries as quickly and
safely as possible. Ideally this should be within one and five minutes, a similar time for a conventionally
fuelled car to refill its tank. The battery exchange process had to be fully automated, with no need for
the driver or an attendant to have an input into the process during its normal operation.
One of the main problems with battery exchange stations is the perceived need for battery
standardisation. Previous systems have only been compatible with one set of battery dimensions and
thus a limited range of car models. For example, the Better Place battery exchange systems were
only compatible with specially designed Renault Fluence Z.E. electric vehicles (Wikipedia, 2014). This
would require manufacturers to agree on a single standard battery for all vehicles, which they are
reluctant to do so due to the differing power requirements and the effect the batteries have on car
weight and handling. Therefore, one of the main advantages this system has over previous systems is
its compatibility with batteries of different dimensions. This eliminates the need for a single
standardised battery across all vehicles and allows a range of different vehicles to be used. Whilst
some design adjustments are required for compatibility and the cooperation of manufacturers is
essential, the system has been designed to be compatible with different battery dimensions and allow
flexibility for manufacturers with the possibility of adapting current models through aftermarket
solutions.
As this system has been designed with the future in mind throughout, an additional consideration was
the potential future uptake of electric vehicles, and therefore it was imperative to ensure that this
system was expandable in order to provide solutions for the future. One of the main disadvantages of
electric vehicles is their current restricted range. This system alleviates the effects of this, which may
potentially make the decision to use a full electric vehicle more desirable and thus help improve
uptake, increasing future demand on stations. This station has been designed to be expandable as
required by either the purchaser or operator. It can be built with a minimum of one operational lane
(working with a single vehicle at a time) and expanded with further lanes without fundamentally
redesigning elements or building a new station; conveyers can be extended and new lanes can be
added, with the size of the battery storage racks tailored to the needs of the station operator.
For the handling and installation of batteries, it was decided that the following components would
need to be designed and implemented:
A battery attachment/detachment mechanism allowing the battery to be removed and
reinserted from the bottom of the car
A transportation system to move the battery from the car to the conveyer system
A method of connecting the battery to be charged whilst stored in the station
6.2 Design Concepts
6.2.1 Battery Attachment
Before considering methods for how to raise or lower the battery into the car it was deemed that
considerations needed to be made about how the batteries are physically connected to the car. For
most commercially available electric vehicles currently, the main battery modules are located in the
undercarriage, and connected to the car by high strength mechanical brackets. In order to weather-

22
proof these modules, an under floor protective casing is then usually installed. Due to the fact that
most batteries are located in this position, it was decided that a vertical raising mechanism would be
the most effective way of removing the batteries, whilst also requiring the least change in
manufacturers design processes. An additional issue that arose was that current connection points
are often located at the sides of the batteries, and these would need to be raised to the top in order
to allow for easy installation. The concept of changing battery modules is not totally revolutionary. It
is currently possible, however only if carried out by service engineers with specialist tools.
The first solutions investigated worked around the current attachment mechanisms, allowing vehicles
on the road to be immediately compatible. The initial idea was to use automated robotic arms
approaching the side of the battery to unscrew bolts attached to the brackets and use magnets to
move and hold the brackets during the battery swap, as shown in Figure 6.1. It was found this system
would be complicated due to the restricted room available underneath the car and the small
tolerances the brackets had to be placed at in order to properly position them. This was also less than
ideal, as it would be difficult to implement a system to allow the arms to move freely to accommodate
different battery dimensions without interfering with the conveyer system.

Figure 6.1 - (a) Layout of initial attachment design (b) Single automated robotic controller
It was therefore decided that the implementation of a quick release detachment system integrated
into the car, rather than an external removal system was the preferred solution. This reduced the
complexity of the system and allowed the handling systems to easily accommodate different battery
dimensions. This also allows a speeding up of the removal process, allowing more time for positional
adjustments to be made to compensate for the cars position. This requires car manufacturers co-
operation to design and implement it into their vehicles, either in their initial design or through
aftermarket solutions. It was decided to design an example system for car manufacturers to prove the
feasibility of the idea and that it can be flexible to their needs. After consideration it was decided to
focus on the following parameters for the attachment mechanism:
Security holding the batteries in place during normal driving conditions
Footprint reducing space underneath the car, as little interference with the suspension as
possible
Keep weight to a minimum
Allow airflow for cooling of batteries
(a)
(b)

23
6.2.2 Battery Movement
Another important aspect was how to move the batteries between the conveyer system and vehicles.
This has to deliver the batteries quickly to the main system and be able to handle the large weights of
the batteries these can range from 100kg for the Renault Twizy (Renault S.A., 2013) to around 500kg
for the Tesla Model S (Tesla Motors, Inc, 2014).
To move the battery from the conveyer system to the car, it was decided to use a hydraulic scissor lift.
Generally scissor lifts are able to operate quickly can be designed to different heights and sizes and
compress to a smaller size this would be essential where there was limited room. To accommodate
the different battery sizes it was desirable to lift the batteries from the centre. This also allowed more
flexibility with placing the batteries on the conveyer system due to the lifts ability to compress and
fold to a small height, they could easily place the battery on the conveyer without reducing the
available conveyer area available and thus the driving force moving the batteries from their position.
Another consideration made was whether the batteries should be moved on the conveyers on their
own or whether to place them in supporting trays. Using a universally sized tray would make it easier
for the conveyer system to accommodate different battery dimensions and keep them in a fixed
position for refitting. It also could be used to incorporate further electronic features including charging
circuitry and RFID chips for identification. It was therefore decided that despite the costs necessary
for producing custom made trays, their use would help simplify the conveyer and charging systems.
6.3 Design Development and Detail Design
Whilst performing the analysis two example batteries were modelled a large battery for cars, vans
and a smaller battery for smaller vehicles. Table 5.1 shows the approximated dimensions for these
models the larger battery is based on the dimensions of the Nissan leafs battery (Nissan North
Amerca, Inc, 2013) and slightly enlarged and the smaller based approximately on the Renault Twizy.
The weights and dimensions of the test batteries are slightly larger than for the normal models in
order to allow the system to compensate with a large range of new potential battery dimensions,
allowing it to work with new vehicles without fundamental redesign.
Table 6.1 Dimensions of batteries
Battery Large Small
Dimensions (w x l x h) (m) 1.2 x 1.6 x 0.275 0.9 x 1.3 x 0.275
Maximum mass (kg) 600 400
Minimum mass (kg) 250 200



24
6.3.1 Battery Tray
The final design of the trays, as shown in Figure 6.2, allows the tray to support the batteries, maintain
their position and holds the required charging connections and circuitry. It is able to hold batteries up
to the size of the large battery model (1.2x1.6x0.275m) and maximum weight of 600kg. The batteries
are connected to charging circuitry and supporting using support shafts in the centre, and rolling
electrical contacts are constructed on the trays edges.

Figure 6.2 - Final tray design
The dimensions of the main tray body were determined by analysing its bending stresses when
supporting the model batteries. The analysis was derived from the fundamental equation below (Toll,
2013).

(6.1)
Where is the bending moment in the tray, the largest distance from the centroid and the second
moment of area (Toll, 2013). From basic theory it was realised the maximum stress would be in the
centre of the tray so this was the main focus of the analysis. For the analysis, two scenarios were
considered: the first looking at the bending along the batterys length, looking at a cross section across
it with where it This was analysed along the batterys width, where the tray is supported by the
conveyers, and looking at the cross section along the batterys length, looking at the central section
where it is left unsupported immediately after lifting.

The moments, looking at the bending moments of the length of the tray, are shown in equation (5.2).
=
1
2
(

)(

) (

) (

)
2
(6.2)
Figure 6.3 - Diagrams of the bending scenarios examined


25
Here

are widths of the battery, conveyer in contact with tray and tray respectively,

the
battery mass. This was also derived looking along the batterys length at the central section where it
is unsupported by the conveyer system. The bending moments here were found using equation (5.3).
= (

) (

2
)
2
(6.3)
Here

is the length of the battery. As the tray contains the charging circuitry and contains an
internalised gap to do so, its cross section changes along its length and width. In order to
accommodate for this, the analysis was performed on two separate cases once using a thin cross
section, looking at a cross section where the gap for charging circuitry is present and again using a
thick cross section where the gap is not present. The results of the analysis are shown in table 6.2.
Table 6.2 Results of the tray analysis
Battery Model Large Small
Mass (kg) 600 250 450 200
Dimensions 1.2 x 1.6 x 0.275 0.9 x 1.3 x 0.275
Minimum stress

(Mpa) -1.97 -0.82 -1.92 -0.85

(Mpa) -1.04 -0.43 -1.01 -0.45

Maximum stress

(Mpa) 4.23 1.76 2.58 1.15

(Mpa) 3.57 1.49 2.18 0.97

From this it was decided to construct the main bodies of the trays using a high strength plastic like
nylon-6. It is able to withstand the compressive stresses found as well as withstand the high
temperatures of the battery charging circuitry and battery itself during charging (MatWeb, LLC, n.d.).
The relatively low density of the plastic also helped reduce the overall weight of the tray compared to
original concepts with full steel or steel reinforced bodies.
The tray is also able to hold the batteries in a fixed position as they are moved through the battery
system. Using a standard size tray meant that to accommodate larger batteries, the movement of
smaller batteries within this system had to be reduced. This is achieved using support shafts of 75mm
diameter and 100mm height coming from the base of the tray, including the central shaft for the main
electric connection between the battery and the tray.
The tray also contains the main electrical systems required for charging the battery. The tray contains
charging circuitry and equipment as designed in the car, so only needs to be supplied with an input
voltage and current. The rollers on the side are used to provide a rolling electric contact between the
rails and the charging circuitry.
6.3.2 Battery Attachment
An example design has been produced to show that a quick release mechanism built into the car is a
feasible solution and can meet the needs of manufactures. Car manufacturers are free to change and
develop to suit their own needs. Figure 6.4 shows the overall layout of this system.

26

Figure 6.4 - Battery attachment system
The system works by using hooks attached to a main support frame on the battery pack. The hooks
are driven by electric linear actuators, each driven with their own motors to reduce the complexity of
the system, allowing it to connect to the existing power sources on board the car. Using six hooks
helped to optimise the system by reducing the loading on each actuator during running and meant
they could quickly move. The whole system was designed to be as lightweight as possible and reduce
added weight on the car as well as not interfere with wheels or suspension. Using an aluminium frame
this system would add a maximum weight of 50kg, with further reductions possible through
optimisation of the support frame.
The battery attachment system has to be able support the battery throughout normal use within the
car and allow it to quickly be attached and detached from the car. One of the concerns with keeping
the control system in the car is the worry of the battery falling out of the bottom of the car. This also
has to be ensured within the control system as well. The hooks must not be removed from the battery
except during an exchange when the tray is in place or during servicing if battery removal is necessary.
The most important factor was the loading of each of the hooks. In this example system the traction
battery was 600kg the maximum weight of the models examined. The hooks were designed looking
at the worst case scenario, being able to hold half the battery weight before yielding. If one of the
hooks failed it was desired for the other hooks to remain intact to prevent the pack from falling due
to the risk of exposure to hazardous materials from the main battery modules.
The hooks are driven to the attachment hooks by electric linear actuators. Under normal loading
conditions (where all hooks are able to hold the weight) they are able to move retract in a short space
of time and withstand the full weight of the lifter and load. It is expected that they would draw power
from the main traction battery, with the pressure of the lifter on the battery maintaining the electrical
connection as the attachment mechanism is being driven. It is feasible since the power of each
actuator motor is insignificant compared to the main traction motor getting the car to the station. The
chance of a fully discharged car entering the system was minimal, and if it did happen a service worker
could manually connect the car to a charging cable to top it up to the required level.


27
6.3.3 Lifter
The overall system used for lifting the batteries in and out of the car is a scissor lift powered by a
hydraulic piston as an actuator as shown in Figure 6.5. The lifter has a small overall area in order to
allow the battery tray to be placed on the conveyer system.

Figure 6.5 - (a) Hydraulic scissor lift with battery (b) with battery
One of the most important factors of this system is its structural integrity. All of the structural
members within the lifter must be able to easily withstand the loading of the battery, tray and main
platforms. Since the system would require multiple changes of batteries per day, all of the systems
had to be able to handle repeated loading.
This lifter system had particular design challenges to face compared to typical uses. The platform had
to be relatively small compared to the height of the lifter in order to allow the tray to be placed onto
the conveyer and be driven off once the lifter was detracted. In order to hold the battery tray in
position, support shafts were added to the top of the platform to insert into bores underneath the
tray.
Through the design process it was decided to use a two tier scissor lift. Although a single tiered scissor
lift was desired due to reduced complexity it was found this was not feasible due to the required length
of each lifter arm in comparison to the platform for the desired height. It was also found using multiple
tiers helped reduce the compression height and clearance between platform and conveyers.
The main analysis performed was the ability for the lifter arms to cope under pressure. They had to
hold the weight of the whole system, including themselves for the lower tier arms. The lifter was
constructed out of steel frames as shown Figure 6.6. Each had a tapered end to allow them to rotate
easily, especially when connected to the platform and bottom frame supports.
(a)
(b)

28

Figure 6.6 - Diagram of lifter support frame
The frame columns were examined by looking at their buckling stresses under loading. As detailed in
(Toll, 2013), the critical stress for buckling is found using Equation 6.4.

2
(6.4)
Where

is critical stress, is the elastic modulus,

second moment of area, cross sectional

area and length. Due to the changing cross sections at their ends, they were modelled as having a
constant rectangular cross section of 100 x 200mm. It was found having each frame of length 1.25m
allowed the lifter to meet its height requirements (reaching a height of 1.8m and lowering to a height
of 0.8m to reach the vehicle and lie below the conveyer set at 1m) and was able to withstand the
loading weight to a factor of safety of 1.5.
Using hydraulics proved to be faster than using electric motors for the lifting, as well as being a more
cost efficient solution. The piston, shown in Figure 6.7, was designed to withstand the required
pressures, support the weight of the entire system and provide the driving force to enable the lifting
motion.

Figure 6.7 - Hydraulic piston

29
The main lifting forces were calculated by analysing the pressures on the different parts of the inner
shaft using the correct formulae (Engineering Toolbox, n.d.).

1
=

4(
2
2

1
2
)
(6.5)

2
=

4(
2
2
)
(6.6)

1
and
2
are the pistons pushing and pulling forces respectively,
1
and
2
the minimum and
maximum cross sectional diameters of the inner piston respectively and P the internal pressure of the
outer piston. For delivering the required actuator forces it was found 77bar and 43bar pressures would
be needed for pushing (lifting) and pulling (retracting) respectively. Looking at the required pressures,
the yielding stresses of the piston were calculated using the Tresca criterion, described as

(6.7)
Where

is the yield stress of the cylinder,

the maximum hoop stress and

the maximum radial

stress (Coates, 2014). It was found constructing the outer piston from steel with a thickness of 75mm
would allow it to withstand the necessary operating pressures to a factor of safety of 1.5.
6.3.4 Changes to Battery Packs
Throughout the design process the aim was to reduce the changes that would need to be made to
the battery packs themselves. However it was found that some design changes have to be made in
order to make the quick battery exchange feasible. Figure 6.8 shows an example of a suitable battery
pack.

Figure 6.8 - Battery pack with suggested changes
The connections to the battery have to be made from the top of the battery to allow the electrical
connections to be made during the process of lifting the battery up. This would also require a circuit
breaker embedded at this connection to allow disconnection in an emergency situation. Further
electric contacts need to be embedded at the base in order to make the connection with the tray and
the charging circuitry.


30
For compatibility with the hook attachment mechanism, a supporting frame has to the exterior of the
battery pack. This is to allow the hooks to hold the battery pack without having to enter the inner
volume of the pack and thus reduce the capacity of the pack for battery modules and thus its charging
capacity.
6.4 Design for Manufacture and Sustainability
The main feature to consider for manufacture and sustainability are the supporting trays. Whilst most
of the components of the battery handling system can easily be sourced from suppliers and the battery
attachment mechanism is the responsibility of the car manufacturers, the battery support trays will
have to be custom manufactured.
Due to temperature and stress requirements it is difficult to recycle the plastic used or construct them
from recycled plastic. In order to reduce waste from the station and reduce manufacturing costs it
was decided to construct the trays from larger panels, allowing the circuitry to be placed and accessed
for repair. This reduces the plastic waste from the station and extends the working life of the trays.
6.5 Discussion
A lot of the systems used in the battery attachment mechanisms have been over engineered to a
certain degree. The main aim of the design process was to ensure that the structures were sound and
would not fail critically or wear easily during their use. However there are some parts of the design
that could be further optimised to reduce unnecessary weight including the battery trays and the lifter
arms themselves. More careful and accurate analysis of these systems would further optimise the
design and reduce the manufacturing costs for the station.


31
7 Vehicle Conveyor System
The aim of the system is to accurately position the EVs above the battery exchange equipment to allow
the exchange to take place. This will be done using a conveyor system which will stop when the EV is
over the equipment and then move the car forward once the exchange has taken place.
7.1 User Requirements
As this is the main part of the system that the driver is involved with, safety is paramount. The simplest
solution is to automate as much as possible, and ensure the driver remains in the vehicle. It was
therefore decided that the system must:
Hold the vehicles in position over the battery change equipment.
Be easy for the driver to use.
Not damage the vehicle.
Be able to accurately position all electric cars.
Release the vehicle after the battery is changed.
Not be susceptible to human error.
Be able to release the vehicle and user in an emergency.
Since the vehicle must be positioned correctly, to within 10 mm above the lifter, it was necessary to
design a precision positioning system. It would be unreasonable to assume that all drivers can park
this accurately. Current positioning systems include vehicle assembly lines and simple car wash
systems. The decision was that a car wash system would be a better solution as road users are already
used to the process and it is possible to drive straight on to these systems.
7.2 Design Concepts
When looking at how to move the EVs along the bay, the first solution considered was push conveyor.
This is the most common type of conveyor system found in car washes and can either be chain and
roller or belt systems, shown in Figure 7.1 (Tommy Car Wash Systems, 2014)

Figure 7.1 - (a) Chain roller conveyor (b) Push belt conveyor
Although these are easy to source and familiar to road users, a push conveyor would not be accurate
enough to align the vehicle. Therefore the decision was to add another roller in front of the tyre to
hold it position as shown in Figure 7.2. Although this is a far more accurate, it would be difficult for
the vehicle to drive out of the system in an emergency.
(a)
(b)

32

Figure 7.2 - Two roller system
7.3 Detail Design
7.3.1 Belt
In order to solve this, a solid plate belt was designed. The final design was to use a solid plate belt
design with gaps of length 250mm for the vehicle tyres to sit in. This would allow the accuracy required
as the tyre will sit in the centre of the gap, each of which is about 5m apart to ensure that only the
front wheels of the EV are captured. Once the vehicle is in the gap, the driver should apply the
handbrake. This will hold the vehicle in place until it has been moved to the end of the conveyor, at
which point the driver will be signalled to remove the handbrake and drive away. Due to the low
profile of the gap it will be easy to drive out of, whilst still providing definite feedback to the driver
when they enter it. The system is shown in Figure 7.3

Figure 7.3 - Belt conveyor
Figure 7.4 shows how far the wheels drop below the belt, but it has been assumed that the tyres will
not deform, so the actual values will be greater than this and depend also on tyre pressure.
Additionally, it can be seen that a compromise needs to be made on the distance of the gap, so that
large wheels are firmly held, whilst small wheeled cars are able to exit the gap at the end of the
conveyor. This therefore requires the battery exchange equipment to handle small differences in
heights of the vehicles. The width of the conveyor plates is 400mm as this allows space for even the
largest production tyres. This will ensure that no tyres will be damaged by the conveyor system.

33

Figure 7.4 - Wheels resting in gap
In order to accommodate vehicles with different wheelbases, the conveyors can be moved laterally.
The movement will be symmetric to ensure the battery will always be located above the lifting
mechanism. The movement will be controlled by a worm screw powered by an electric motor, as seen
in Figure 7.5. The wheelbase and tyre width information will be retrieved from the vehicles RFID tag
as it enters the station.

Figure 7.5 - Lateral movement
7.3.2 Safety Rails
To stop cars driving off the conveyor, a safety rail was designed. This was initially simply a solid barrier
simply bolted to the sides of the conveyor. However to accommodate different tyre widths
9
the rails
need to move laterally. Powered screws at each attachment point control the movement, which is
symmetric due to opposing threads, which keeps the wheel in the centre of the conveyor. The angled
rails at the end help guide the vehicle onto the conveyor. Beneath the angled rails on the ramp are
rollers which sit parallel to the conveyor to allow the vehicle to slide to the centre of the conveyor,
which is shown in Figure 7.6. The inner safety rail is 100mm lower than the outer, so they do not
damage the undercarriage of the vehicles. In order to reduce the wear on tyres from the safety rails,
they are coated in a layer of low friction polymer.

9
The system allows tyres from a width of 100mm to 390mm. Most tyres range from an unloaded width of
135mm to 345mm (Michelin, 2011) (Hankook, 2009).

34

Figure 7.6 - Front end of the conveyor
7.3.3 Safety
The automation of the system reduces the risk to the user, however this must be combined with clear
signage to prevent accidents. Therefore throughout the system the driver will be kept informed with
both visual cues and a speaker system. Figure 7.7 is a photograph of a similar system currently in use
(Tommy Car Wash Systems, 2014).

Figure 7.7 - Example of signs and instructions
A control system will also be implemented to ensure that the vehicle is positioned with its handbrake
on prior to commencement of the exchange process. There will also be precautions on the site to
reduce the speed of vehicles entering the station.
If there are any issues during the exchange process, the low profile grooves will allow the driver to
simply exit the station by continuing along the tracks. In the case of an issue occurring whilst the
battery is removed from the EV, the bays have been designed to allow for the opening of the car doors,
allowing the occupants to exit from either end of the bay.


35
8 Exterior Design
Although the method by which the system works is imperative to the overall feasibility of the design,
if nobody is willing to use the system, this is of little importance. The exterior of the drive through
needs to be aesthetically pleasing and protect the conveyor system from the effects of weather whilst
being safe, extendable and not too expensive.
8.1 Design Development
A single pair of car conveyors is 3.1m wide. A further 1.5m is given either side for space meaning the
width of the building to be 6.1m. The building is 10m long in order to fully cover the car conveyors
length. The tallest electric vehicle currently in production is 1.8m tall (see Appendix IV) so it was
decided that the entrance to the drive through should be 3m tall to accommodate for potential taller
vehicles in future. These are therefore the base dimensions of the building.
Three concepts of the designs exterior were considered, each consisting of a steel frame with
laminated glass panels in between. Glass was chosen as it improves the user experience as they do
not feel as claustrophobic whilst also allowing light in during the day, minimising lighting costs.
8.1.1 Concept 1
This design, shown in Figure 8.1, was seen as a way of transferring from the flat wall of a storage area
to the point where new electric batteries are installed. The conveyor systems are located between the
semi-circular gaps in each side wall. Although this design would be simple to construct and extend, as
additional bays could be added by extending the flat section of the roof, whilst the curve acts to drain
the water away from the entrance and exits of the system. A limitation of this system though is that
due to the small nature of the entrance and exits, additional emergency exits would need to be
installed in order to ensure that occupants could safely exit the station.

Figure 8.1 - Concept 1
8.1.2 Concept 2
Concept 2 was designed to try and be as easily extendable, whilst keeping production costs low. It was
therefore based around a single module that could be added side by side. The entrance and exits are
as large as possible and the combination of glass to let the light in will give a spacious feeling within
the building. However, the curved roof will mean that water is drained in front of the entrance and
the exits so a gutter would need to be installed to ensure the water is drained away. An additional
considerations is that the overall design is not particularly exciting, which would mean that potential
consumers might be less encouraged to use the station. This design is shown in Figure 8.2.

36

Figure 8.2 - Concept 2
8.1.3 Concept 3
Concept 3, shown below, was designed to provide the best aesthetic appeal, whilst meeting the design
specifications earlier. The roof is made up of six glass planes that join at angles to form a three
dimensional structure. This will cause light to reflect as it passes through the ceiling, creating
interesting and appealing effects for customers. The walls were then designed to be curved in order
to contrast the sharp angles of the roof. This unique design has an appealing look and should set the
building apart compared to the standard petrol stations. As a cost, this design uses the most glass,
whilst the heavy roof requires supports that are within the walls that can be seen through the glass.
These facts mean that this design would also be the most expensive to implement, and also difficult
to expand, as it was created for two drive-through bays only so expanding it will require redesigning
the building, particularly the roof.

Figure 8.3 - Concept 3
8.2 Final design Choice
Each of the factors can vary depending on the location of the battery change station. Local planning
concerns can reject the appearance of designs, as glass structures may not complement its
surroundings. Common natural hazards in the area need to be considered as earthquakes and very
strong winds can break laminated glass, though the glass will remain in the frame and not be a hazard
(AIS Glass, 2005). The number of bays where batteries are changed will vary from location, as will the
cost of materials and their delivery.

37
9 Payment System
The preferred method of payment for a service of this nature would be via contract. This allows for a
more convenient and efficient payment system as opposed to the pay-as-you-go method and in doing
so, the contract can have clauses which are required to run the station as smoothly as possible. The
clauses include:
Relevant pre-service checks carried out on the users EV
Fitting RFID tags with relevant data to the vehicle
Disallowing custom modifications beyond the manufacturer. Particular modifications include
changes to tyre or chassis dimensions, as this can pose a risk to the machinery or the user
The EV user will have to attend a training hearing to prove he is capable of safely driving into
and from the station
In order to make the price of this service competitive to other companies who specialise in battery
hire, a price of 200 per month was decided upon. For current users, who wish to switch to our service,
will find there price to be less than or very nearly the same as what they pay to hire the battery in
their EV.
10 Conclusion
An overall layout of the final design is shown in figures 9.1 and 9.2. Overall, the final design consists
of the storage area with an array of angled shelving to allow the batteries to move. These batteries
are charged via the powered rails running alongside each row, with each row containing a specific
type of EV battery. Extra shelving units can be added to the storage rack, in case there is a need for
expansion. The conveyor system is modular in design, with a series of specialised low-friction tables
and powered rollers to transport the battery from the storage area to the EV. Therefore it is possible
for any length conveyor system to be installed depending on the surroundings.
The EV can be positioned with millimetre accuracy due to the lateral movement and positioning
incorporated in the design of the vehicle conveyors, as these can accommodate a range of different
tyre widths and wheelbases.
The exterior consists of two buildings, one to house the storage area and another to cover the two
changing bays. The building that houses the storage area is a flat roofed building ideal for placing solar
panels on; 261 modules provide the station with a small amount of power which can offset our costs
from the National Grid and reiterate the renewable intentions of this design. The second building was
created with aesthetics as high priority as this may attract future customers.
There is also a hydraulic scissor lift in place to raise or lower the battery into or out of the EV. The
battery will be held there by a quick release system, designed by the manufacturer, consisting of high
strength steel hooks driven by linear actuators.
In conclusion, the station is shown to be theoretically operational, however it does require
cooperation from the EV manufactures. The station stocks a range of batteries for a range of EV
models and has the technology to sufficiently charge them. Since this design is reinforcing the notion
of transport via renewable energy, it may attract some more funding in the future. This may lead to
more refined station designs increasing the chance for long-term success of this project.

38

Figure 10.1 - Full overview of the final design, showing the path an EV would take


Figure 10.2 - Full overview of the final design without the roof, showing the battery storage area

39
11 Table of References
AIS Glass, 2005. Code Of Practice For Use Of Glass In Buildings, s.l.: s.n.
Beardmore, R., 2006. Unequal angle Dimensions. [Online]
Available at: http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/Sections/U_Angles_dim_prop.htm
[Accessed March 2014].
Bonsor, K. a. F. W., n.d. How RFID Works. [Online]
Available at: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid4.htm
[Accessed 02 2014].
Coates, P. G., 2014. Mechanics of Systems Lecture Slides, Durham: School of Engineering and
Computer Science, Durham University.
DIY Audio Projects, n.d. American Wire Gauge (AWG) Cable / Conductor Sizes. [Online]
Available at: http://diyaudioprojects.com/Technical/American-Wire-Gauge/
[Accessed 03 2014].
Engineering Toolbox, n.d. Hydraulic Force. [Online]
Available at: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/hydraulic-force-calculator-d_1369.html
[Accessed 03 2014].
Engineering Toolbox, n.d. Modulus of Elasticity. [Online]
Available at: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/young-modulus-d_417.html
[Accessed 02 2014].
Engineering Toolbox, n.d. Resistivity, Conductivity and Temperature Coefficients for some Common
Materials. [Online]
Available at: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/resistivity-conductivity-d_418.html
[Accessed 02 2014].
Hankook, 2009. Tire Manager. [Online]
Available at: http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/car-tyres#type=type_3
[Accessed 02 2014].
MatWeb, LLC, n.d. MatWeb Overview of materials for Nylon 6. [Online]
Available at:
http://www.matweb.com/search/DataSheet.aspx?MatGUID=8d78f3cfcb6f49d595896ce6ce6a2ef1&
ckck=1
[Accessed 03 2014].
Michelin, 2011. Find & Buy Michelin Car Tyres Online. [Online]
Available at: http://www.michelin.co.uk/tyres/car-tyres#type=type_3
[Accessed 02 2014].
Nissan North Amerca, Inc, 2013. First Responder's Guide, s.l.: s.n.
Renault S.A., 2013. Twizy Driver's Handbook, s.l.: s.n.
RFID Journal, 2014. FAQ. [Online]
Available at: http://www.rfidjournal.com/faq/#fc20
[Accessed 02 2014].

40
Steel Construction Institute, 1994. Steel Designer's Manual. 5th ed. Oxford: Blakwell Scientific
Productions.
Tesla Motors, Inc, 2014. BATTERY. [Online]
Available at: http://www.teslamotors.com/roadster/technology/battery
[Accessed 02 2014].
Toll, P. D., 2013. Mechanics of Systems Lecture Slides, Durham: School of Engineering and Computer
Science, Durham University.
Tommy Car Wash Systems, 2014. Car Wash Equipment. [Online]
Available at: http://www.tommycarwash.com/portfolio/#/pictures1/
[Accessed 02 2014].
Tommy Car Wash Systems, 2014. Portfolio. [Online]
Available at:
http://www.tommycarwash.com/portfolio/#/pictures1/Entrance%20Modules/Time%20IT%20Lube%
20042.jpg
[Accessed 02 2014].
Wikipedia - The free encyclopedia, 2014. Radio Frequency Identification. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID
[Accessed 02 2014].
Wikipedia, 2014. Better Place. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better_Place
[Accessed 02 2014].
Wikipedia, 2014. Third Rail. [Online]
Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_rail
[Accessed 02 2014].
Witricity, n.d. WiT-3300. [Online]
Available at: http://www.witricity.com/pages/ev-charging-system.html
[Accessed 03 2014].



41
12 Appendices
I. Design Brief
JBZR1: Electric vehicle battery change station
For electric vehicles to have greater range battery change stations will be required where the vehicle
can be taken for a rapid battery change. The aim of this project is to complete a top level design of a
battery change station to access what it may look like, what size the battery storage and charging
facility will be and how the automatic battery handling may be implemented.
II. Process Flowchart



42
III. Source Code for Numerical Analysis
12.1.1 Solving the angle for the storage area
#include <stdio.h>
#include <math.h>
int flag, i;
int inputk();
void something();
float s = 1.6, mu = 0.05, g = 9.81, x, theta, t;
int inputk()
{
char str[30]; double ret;
scanf("%s", &str);
system("cls");
return ret = atof (str);
}
int main()
{
printf("This is a base menu program\n\n");
flag = 0;
while (flag==0)
{
printf ("Please choose an option:\n");
printf ("1. Calculate theta\n");
printf ("2. Display theta\n");
printf ("3. Change values\n");
printf ("9. Exit program\n");
printf ("Input number : ");
switch (inputk())
{
case 1:
flag = 0;
something();
break;
case 2:
printf ("%f radians\n", x);
x = 180 * x / 3.14159265;
printf ("%f degrees\n", x);
flag = 0;
break;
case 3:
printf("Input s in metres: \n");
s = inputk();
printf("Input g in metres per second squared: \n");
g = inputk();
printf("Input mu in somehting: \n");
mu = inputk();
flag = 0;
break;
case 9:
flag = 1;
printf("Exiting Program...\n");
break;
default:
system("cls");
printf("Error\n\n");
break;
}
system("pause");
system("cls");
}
}
void something()
{
float ef = 0;
for (theta = 0; theta <= 1; theta = theta + 0.00001){
t = sqrt(2 * s /(g * (sin(theta) - mu * cos(theta))));
if (t < 2 & ef == 0) x = theta, printf("Theta = %f radians\n", theta), ef = 1;
}
}

43


12.1.2 Solving the roller dimensions
#include <math.h>
#include <stdio.h>

float s, s1, w, l, t, t2, r, r2, s3;
int ef = 0;
float pi = 3.141592653;
float fos = 2.0;

int main() {
t = 0.05, l = 2.1, w = 280.3, s3 = 280;
printf("This program is for minimising the required radius of the rollers\n");
printf("r t s\n");
for (r = 0.001; r <= 0.3; r = r + 0.001){
s3 = 500000000, t2 = 0;
for(t=r; t>0.0001; t = t - 0.0001) {
s1 = fos*r*w*l/(2*pi*(4*t*r*r*r-6*t*t*r*r+4*t*t*t*r-t*t*t*t))/1000000;
if (s1 < s3) {
s3 = s1, t2 = t;
}
}
printf("%f %f %f\n", r, t2, s3);
}
system("pause");
r = 0.05;
s3 = 500000000, t2 = 0;
printf("t s");
for(t=r; t>0.0001; t = t - 0.00002) {
s1 = fos*r*w*l/(2*pi*(t*r*r*r-t*t*r*r+t*t*t*r-t*t*t*t))/1000000;
printf("%f %f\n", t, s1);
}
system("pause");
}


44
IV. EV Dimensions
A - http://www.teslamotors.com/en_GB/models/specs
B - http://www.harwoodsgroup.co.uk/pdf/kangoo-ze-brochure.pdf
C - http://www.renault.co.uk/cars/electric-vehicles/fluence-ze/fluence-ze/prices/index.jsp
D - http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/i/i3/2013/showroom/technical_data.html
E -https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/ManualsAndGuides/NissanLEAF/ 2013/2013-
NissanLEAF-owner-manual.pdf
F - http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/images/1/1e/41194_1_5.xls
G - http://www.renault.co.uk/cars/electric-vehicles/zoe/zoe/prices/index.jsp
H - http://www.mia-electric.com/sites/www.mia-voiture-
electrique.com/files/brochure_44pages_en_light_0.pdf
I - http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/specifications.aspx
J - http://www.e-guide.renault.com/913_6_ENG_X09/ressources/Download/NU913-6_ENG.pdf
Vehicle Model Kerb
Weight
(kg)
Gross Vehicle
Weight (kg)
Length
(mm)
Width
(mm)
Height
(mm)
Wheel
base
(mm)

Tesla Model S 2100 4970 2187 1445 2960 A
Renault Kangoo ZE 1410 2146 4213 2133 1844 2697 B
Renault Kangoo Maxi ZE 1472 2177 4597 2133 1836 3081 B
Renault Kangoo
Maxi Crew Van ZE
1572 2286 4597 2133 1826 3081 B
Maxi Crew Van Cab ZE 1572 2239 4597 2133 1826 3081 B
Renault Fluence ZE 1535 1985 4748 1813 1458 2701 C
BMW i3 1270 1620 3999 1775 1678 1576 D
Nissan Leaf 1521 1956 4445 1770 1550 2700 E, F
Renault Zoe 1428 1943 4084 1730 1562 2588 G
Mia Electric (8kWh) 764 2870 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric (12kWh) 815 2870 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric L (8kWh) 800 3190 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric L (12kWh) 850 3190 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric U (8kWh) 765 3190 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric U (12kWh) 815 3190 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric miaparis
(8kWh)
799 2870 1640 1550 H
Mia Electric miaparis
(12kWh)
850 2870 1640 1550 H
Mistubishi i-MiEV 1070 1450 3475 1475 1610 2550 I
Renault Twizy 690 2337 1237 1454 1188 J
Renault Twizy 45 685 2337 1237 1454 1188 J

45
V. Engineering Drawings




46



47



48

49

50

51

52




53
VI. Project Plan