Lesson 1Thermal management strategies: passive air, forced-air, liquid cooling, and PCM options for urban duty cyclesThis section reviews thermal management options for city EV packs, including passive and forced air, liquid cooling, and phase change materials, and explains how drive cycles, climate, and fast charging requirements shape the final thermal system design for hot South African summers.
Thermal limits for safety and ageing controlPassive and forced-air cooling architecturesLiquid cooling plates and manifoldsPhase change materials for peak shavingControl strategies for urban drive cyclesLesson 2Nominal pack voltage selection and implications for inverter/motor design and charging powerThis section explains how to choose nominal pack voltage, its impact on inverter and motor design, current levels, cable sizing, and DC fast charging power, while addressing insulation, safety clearances, and standards relevant to city-focused EV platforms in South Africa.
Voltage ranges used in modern city EVsImpact of voltage on inverter and motor designCurrent, conductor sizing, and lossesCharging power, connectors, and standardsInsulation, creepage, and clearance rulesLesson 3End-of-life and second-life strategies: reuse for stationary storage, recycling pathways and design-for-recycling principlesThis section covers end-of-life pathways for EV packs, including health assessment for second-life use, repurposing into stationary storage, recycling processes for key materials, and design-for-recycling principles that reduce cost and environmental impact in South African recycling ecosystems.
State-of-health thresholds for second-life useStationary storage applications for used packsMechanical and electrical repurposing stepsRecycling processes for Li, Ni, Co, and CuDesign-for-disassembly and labelling practicesLesson 4Selecting cell chemistry for city EVs: LFP, NMC variants, pros/cons (energy density, safety, cycle life, supply chain)This section compares LFP and NMC chemistries for city EVs, focusing on energy and power density, safety behaviour, cycle and calendar life, raw material supply risks, cost trends, and how duty cycle and climate guide the final chemistry choice for South African conditions.
Key performance metrics for EV cell chemistriesLFP characteristics for urban duty cyclesNMC variants and performance trade-offsSafety and abuse tolerance of LFP vs NMCSupply chain, cost, and regional availabilityLesson 5Lifetime and cycle-life modelling: calendar vs cycle ageing, depth-of-discharge policies, warranty framingThis section explains lifetime and cycle-life modelling, distinguishing calendar and cycle ageing, the role of depth of discharge and temperature, and how to translate models into warranties, maintenance plans, and residual value estimates for city EV fleets in South Africa.
Calendar ageing mechanisms and modelsCycle ageing vs depth-of-discharge effectsTemperature influence on degradation ratesSimple lifetime prediction workflowsWarranty, residual value, and fleet planningLesson 6Battery capacity sizing: methods to choose pack kWh for target range and reserve factorThis section details methods to size battery capacity, using drive cycle energy models, efficiency assumptions, reserve factors, and degradation allowances, to meet target range while balancing cost, mass, charging time, and fleet utilisation needs in urban South Africa.
Drive cycle energy consumption modellingUsable vs nominal capacity definitionsReserve factors and degradation marginsImpact of capacity on cost and massSizing for fleets and shared mobilityLesson 7Battery pack mass estimation: energy density-based calculations and vehicle-level impact on rangeThis section presents methods to estimate pack mass from cell and pack-level energy density, including structural and cooling overheads, and evaluates how battery mass influences vehicle range, performance, payload, and regulatory weight classes for city EVs in South Africa.
Gravimetric and volumetric energy densityBottom-up pack mass calculation stepsAccounting for structure and cooling hardwareEffect of pack mass on range and efficiencyPayload, axle load, and class limitsLesson 8Cell format and mechanical layout: pouch, prismatic, cylindrical trade-offs for manufacturability and repairabilityThis section analyses pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical cell formats, comparing packing efficiency, cooling options, structural integration, manufacturability, and repairability, and shows how module and pack layouts affect cost, safety, and service procedures in local contexts.
Characteristics of pouch, prismatic, cylindricalModule architectures and busbar conceptsMechanical fixation and vibration robustnessCooling plate and airflow path integrationServiceability and field repair strategiesLesson 9Battery management system (BMS) essentials: state-of-charge (SoC), state-of-health (SoH), cell balancing, safety cutoffsThis section introduces BMS functions, including SoC and SoH estimation, cell voltage and temperature monitoring, balancing strategies, safety cutoffs, and communication with vehicle controllers, emphasising reliability and functional safety for city EVs in South Africa.
Core BMS hardware and sensing elementsSoC estimation algorithms and errorsSoH tracking and ageing indicatorsPassive vs active cell balancing methodsFault detection, limits, and shutdown logic
