Topology analysis of electric vehicles, with a focus on the traction battery

Over recent years, the number of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) has drastically increased due to new European Union (EU) regulations. These regulations force vehicle manufacturers to adjust their product range in order to fulfill the imposed carbon dioxide limits. Such an adjustment enforces the usage of battery electric vehicles. However, research into the optimal BEV architectures and topologies is still in progress. Therefore, the aim of this paper is an analysis of all the current electric vehicle topologies. From this analysis, the authors identify different basic battery shapes. Subsequently, these shapes are used to describe the impact of the battery on the passenger compartment. As an initial result of this analysis, the authors create a new denomination method, via which it is possible to cluster the battery topologies. In a second step, the collected data is clustered using the novel denomination method. Finally, this paper presents the benchmark topologies for the analyzed segments.