Integrated Power and Thermal Management for Enhancing Energy Efficiency and Battery Life in Connected and Automated Electric Vehicles

Abstract: Effective power and thermal management are essential for ensuring battery efficiency, safety, and longevity in Connected and Automated Electric Vehicles (CAEVs). However, real-time implementation is challenging due to the multi-timescale dynamics and complex trade-offs between energy consumption, battery degradation, traffic efficiency, and thermal regulation. This paper proposes a novel integrated power and thermal management strategy based on the Multi-Horizon Model Predictive Control (MH-MPC) framework to enhance energy efficiency, optimize battery temperature, ensure traffic safety and efficiency, and reduce battery degradation for CAEVs. The proposed strategy is formulated with a focus on the aging term, allowing it to more effectively manage the trade-offs between energy consumption, battery degradation, and temperature regulation. Moreover, the proposed strategy leverages multi-horizon optimization to achieve substantial improvements, reducing computation time by 7.18%, cooling energy by 14.22%, traction energy by 8.26%, battery degradation loss by over 22%, and battery degradation inconsistency by 36.57% compared to the benchmark strategy. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses of key parameters, including weighting factors, sampling time, and prediction horizons, demonstrate the robustness of the strategy and underscore its potential for practical applications in extending battery lifespan while ensuring safety and efficiency.