Book review
Power sources for electric vehicles: studies in
electrical and electronic engineering
B.D. McNicol and D.A.J. Rand (Eds.)
Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, 1984, 1066 pp.,
$211.50
ISBN 0-444-42315X
The book is a large and comprehensive work with contri-
butions from 21 authors who are clearly experts in the
subject matter covered.
The whole technology of electrochemical power sources
suitable for electric road vehicles is covered in this one
volume. Balance and perspective is added to what is a
specialist subject by chapters covering the arguments for
electric vehicles, their history and potential future. This
volume is an essential 'read' for the scientist/engineer
seeking a detailed knowledge of one or more of the multi-
tude of alternative electrochemical systems that have been
researched.
Interest in battery-powered electric vehicles has been re-
awakened by factors such as the desire to reduce air pol-
lution in industrialised countries and the increasing need
to conserve valuable liquid fuels.
The book starts with a consideration of all the elements
that have been raised in the electric vehicle debate, and
development initiatives that have been taken place around
the world in recent years are described.
The world resource of primary energy and alternative
liquid fuels for transport is considered. It is concluded that
fuels which can be used in conventional motor vehicles will
be with us at a reasonable price, for many years to come.
However, the methanol fuel cell, if successfully developed,
may prove an attractive proposition for widescale use,
though there are practical snags. It is recognised that the
existing internal combustion based infrastructure is enor-
mous and this alone will make the acceptance of alterna-
tives slow. Change may likely be faster in commercial
transport where the economic advantages of electric vehi-
cles are thought to be clear.
Electric vehicles have been with us for longer than one
might think. Robert Davidson built a primary cell driven,
reciprocating electric motor vehicle in 1837. Surprisingly
large quantities of electric vehicles were built before 1900.
Even more surprisingly, the first hybrid or mixed electric
and internal combustion engined vehicle (ICEV) was con-
structed in 1905.
The increased range offered by ICEVs, the introduction
of electric starters and the high cost of providing battery
charging networks, it is claimed, hastened the demise of
the battery electric vehicle in favour of ICEVs for general
public use. Only in recent times have the major advances
made in electrochemical systems, combined with political
threats to oil supplies, changed the economic scene and,
once again, made electric vehicles an attractive proposi-
tion.
Since 1970, many countries have undertaken major
research programmes leading to the significant develop-
ment of new electric drives and improved electrochemical
sources. 15 Chapters of this book, representing about 80%
of the contents, are given to a detailed consideration of all
types of battery and fuel cell which may be candidates as
traction power sources. A whole chapter is given to the
introduction, history and general characteristics of electro-
chemical cells as a precusor for the more detailed chapters
that follow. The rechargable storage battery and the fuel
cell are the basic electrochemical energy sources. They
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differ fundamentally in that the storage battery requires a
supply of electricity, whereas the fuel cell requires a fuel
supply.
It is possible that batteries were in use as early as 2000
BC in the electroplating of metals. However, the first
recorded observation of battery activity comes from Pro-
fessor Luigi Galvani who stumbled across the electro-
chemical battery when experimenting with frogs' legs. He
incorrectly interpreted what he observed and it was left to
Professor Allessandro Volta to correctly reason that elec-
tricity flowed between two dissimilar metals when placed
in a suitable conducting liquid. Thus, the primary cell was
discovered.
Michael Faraday placed the then new phenomenon of
electrochemistry firmly on a quantitative basis and intro-
duced the terms electrolyte, electrode, anode and cathode.
Batteries quickly increased in sophistication until, in 1860,
Plante demonstrated the first useful rechargable cell based
on lead electrodes and sulphuric acid electrolyte. Theory
followed practice in 1880.
Developments in the lead/acid battery system have con-
tinued since that time and given us the efficient lead/acid
batteries that are in use today. Alkaline electrolyte systems
followed, leading to the commercial introduction of nickel/
iron and nickel/cadmium cells from 1900 and 1909, respec-
tively. Thomas Edison was much in evidence in the early
development of nickel/iron batteries.
For traction applications, energy density and specific
rate of discharge are the important parameters. Thus,
materials which favour these parameters are of major
interest for traction battery systems. These include nickel/
zinc, aluminium/air, iron/air, zinc/air, zinc/bromine, zinc/
chlorine, lithium/sulphur and sodium/sulphur. Over 30
different systems have been proposed for electric road
vehicles. However, only a few use materials that are plenti-
ful and low in cost.
Fuel cell operation was known as early as 1839 and
evolved from experiments by William Grove. Oxidation of
fuel at one electrode (anode) releases electrons which can
perform work via an external conductor circuit connected
to a second electrode (cathode) at the surface of which an
oxidant is reduced. The electrodes operate in an ion-
conducting electrolyte.
The electrodes serve simply as conductor-electrolyte
interfaces and do not take part in electrochemical reac-
tions in the manner of battery electrodes. Power is gener-
ated, not stored, as long as fuel is supplied.
F.T. Bacon is considered to be the pioneer of modern
fuel-cell research and he demonstrated 5 kW fuel-cell
systems for traction in 1979. Major growth in research
came as a result of the US Gemini and Apollo prog-
rammes.
Four types of fuel cell are currently under development
for energy conversion applications. Acid-electrolyte cells
appear good candidates for road vehicle applications.
They operate in temperature range 6O-200°C.
The detailed treatment of specific secondary battery
types starts with aqueous electrolyte batteries by D.
Pavlov. A very detailed coverage of lead/acid battery tech-
nology and traction cell design is covered in about 400
pages of text with 342 references.
L. Ojefors presents nickel/zinc technology and J.
McBreen, nickel/zinc. 'Metal/air systems' by F.G. Will
reviews the major alternatives and presents details of zinc/
air, iron/air and aluminium/air batteries. Zinc/halogen
IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 132, Pt. B, No. 6, NOVEMBER 1985
systems, covered by R.J. Bellows and P.G. Grimes,
includes zinc/bromine and zinc/chlorine batteries.
R.W. Glazebrook reviews non-aqueous, high tem-
perature electrolyte technology including lithium alloy/
metal sulphide and sodium/sulphur types. B.C.H. Steele
presents organoelectrolyte and solid state systems.
In the concluding chapter on secondary cell technology,
D.A.J. Rand considers all the candidate systems. He con-
cludes that it is not easy to pick a winner that would be
the optimum system for widespread use at this time
because significant developments are still to be expected.
Fuel-cell systems are introduced with a chapter by P.
Stonehart on acid systems. The direct methanol/air fuel-
cell is reviewed by B.D. McNicol. E. Jennings Taylor and
Supramaniam Spinivasin cover alkaline fuel-cell systems.
An overview of candidate fuel-cell systems by A.J.
Appleby and P.N. Ross concludes that the most likely
future cells will be methanol and hydrogen based, but that
major breakthroughs are needed before fuel-cells can be
considered for general transport use.
Hybrid fuel-cell/battery vehicles are considered by K.V.
Kordesch and C.H. Fabjan.
The last three chapters of this major reference work
cover laboratory testing of electric vehicle batteries (A.F.
Burke), vehicle testing (A.F. Burke) and consideration of
what the future might hold (R.M. Dell).
G.B. SMITH
4183B
Power semiconductor drives
SB. Dewar, G.R. Sleman and A. Straughen
Wiley Interscience, 1985, 354 pp., £57.75
ISBN 0-471-89831-7
A power semiconductor drive is a complex combination of
power conditioning equipment, electromechanical energy
conversion and external loading. The art of successfully
implementing a drive appropriate to a particular situation
is the interfacing of the three areas. This interfacing is a
particular strength of the present volume. The style is
readily assimilated and resembles the integrated presen-
tation of the well-established volume, 'Electric machines'
by Professors Sleman and Straughen. Prof. Dewar's exper-
tise in power electronics lifts this book into the unique
category for comprehensiveness.
The book lays a firm foundation of basic dynamics
related to electrical drives. It is good to see the four-
quadrant speed-torque diagram presented as a mechanical
system related to the dynamics of rotating systems. Load
dynamics are classified into typical systems, e.g. compres-
sors, pumps, fans and traction (transportation) loads,
winches and hoists. The required drive characteristics are
used to define required speed changes and the system
speed-time characteristic. Overall, this early Section is of
immense value on its own. It presents simply and concisely
one of the 'grey' areas in the minds of many electrical engi-
neers.
This fundamental system basis enables the power con-
version function to be defined and an appropriate selection
IEE PROCEEDINGS, Vol. 132, Pt. B, No. 6, NOVEMBER 1985
of drive elements to be made. The reader can see broadly
that he needs a controlled rectifier, chopper, inverter or
cycloconvertor before he investigates the detail of the
power electronic system.
DC power electronic equipment is developed very com-
prehensively. The reader is led point by point through
separately excited drives, series excited drives, full and half-
wave conversion in controlled rectifiers to the nature of the
motor, its time constants and ratings. Controlled rectifiers
with motor loads are discussed in single- and 3-phase
input terms. Regeneration and dynamic braking, electrical
power considerations, the generation of harmonics and the
associated heating of the motor are analysed.
Basic control system theory is briefly revised and block
diagrams of motor and power electronics developed
leading to the system transfer functions. Rectifier transfer
functions allowing for 'dead time' allow mathematical
models of the whole system to be derived.
The controlled rectifier DC drives lead into chopper
controlled DC drives. Class A and Class B choppers are
presented leading into four quadrant DC chopper drives.
DC links and source-filter requirements broaden the
picture.
The latter part of the book on AC drives lacks the com-
prehensiveness of the DC drive sections. A rather idealised
lumped parameter induction motor model is presented and
an impression can be gained that harmonics are more of a
problem in DC drives than AC drives. However, power
semiconductor control in induction motor pump and fan
drives with the comparison and contrast of voltage- and
current-source inverters is clear. An added bonus of com-
prehensiveness is the discussion of slip-energy recovery
systems, synchronous and reluctance drives. The brushless
DC motor is an omission, but it might be derived from the
synchronous system.
The analysis of voltage and current waveforms of
power-electronic convertors operating with rotating
machines is well developed and comprehensive. It may not
allow individual devices to be selected but it allows the
system to be studied in depth.
Overall, this is not a book on power-electronic systems
as such. The reader will not be able to design a convertor
or an inverter from the material presented. Pulse and
timing circuitry and protection is not discussed. It is pos-
sible, however, to select an appropriate convertor related
to the load requirement and to select the motor. This book
is unique, in my experience, in its comprehensiveness, and
I commend it to professional engineers working in rotating
drives. As a reference book for drive selection, it is invalu-
able. I commend it to all libraries, public and personal and
to all final year electrical engineering students working in
this area, if they can afford it.
Finally, the worked examples are based on real engin-
eering situations, clearly presented and backed by many
other examples to which numerical answers are given.
Dr. P.G. HOLMES
4184B
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