METHOD FOR ESTIMATING THE REQUIRED ENERGY CAPACITY OF A TRACTION BATTERY UNDER SPECIFIED ROUTE OPERATING CONDITIONS

Abstract

This article lies within the field of transport engineering and addresses a relevant challenge in the development of urban electric transport, particularly trolleybuses with autonomous operation capability. The study focuses on substantiating the required energy capacity of a traction battery to ensure reliable trolleybus operation along route sections lacking an overhead contact network. The relevance of the research is обусловлена the ongoing transition to environmentally sustainable transport systems and the need to replace conventional diesel buses with electric alternatives.
Based on a critical analysis of existing approaches to battery capacity determination – most of which rely on averaged statistical data and fail to account for the specific operating conditions of individual routes – the authors propose a novel method. The proposed approach incorporates key operational parameters, including the length of the autonomous section, the number of stops, operating speed, road gradients, and passenger load.
The method is grounded in the mathematical modeling of energy consumption during vehicle operation. It takes into account the energy required for acceleration, overcoming motion resistance, supplying auxiliary systems, and ensuring passenger comfort, as well as energy losses and partial recovery through regenerative braking. This enables a more accurate estimation of total route energy consumption and, consequently, a more substantiated determination of the required battery capacity.
The results obtained are of both theoretical and practical significance. The proposed method can be utilized by transport operators in the development of tender documentation for the procurement of trolleybuses with autonomous operation capability. It may also be applied by manufacturers to justify the maximum autonomous range provided by the traction battery installed in a trolleybus.