Lesson 1Thermal management strategies: passive air, forced-air, liquid cooling, and PCM options for urban duty cyclesThis part reviews heat handling choices for city EV packs, like passive and forced air, liquid cooling, and phase change materials, and how drive cycles, weather, and quick charging shape the final heat system design in Zambia.
Heat limits for safety and wear controlPassive and forced-air cooling setupsLiquid cooling plates and pipesPhase change materials for peak controlControl plans for city drive cyclesLesson 2Nominal pack voltage selection and implications for inverter/motor design and charging powerThis part explains choosing standard pack voltage, its effect on inverter and motor design, current levels, cable sizes, and DC quick charging power, while covering insulation, safety gaps, and standards for city EV setups in Zambia.
Voltage ranges in modern city EVsVoltage effect on inverter and motor designCurrent, wire sizing, and lossesCharging power, connectors, and standardsInsulation, creepage, and gap rulesLesson 3End-of-life and second-life strategies: reuse for stationary storage, recycling pathways and design-for-recycling principlesThis part covers end-life paths for EV packs, including health checks for second use, turning into fixed storage, recycling for main materials, and recycling-friendly design that cuts cost and eco harm in Zambian recycling.
Health levels for second-life useFixed storage uses for old packsMechanical and electrical reuse stepsRecycling for Li, Ni, Co, and CuDesign for easy breakdown and labelsLesson 4Selecting cell chemistry for city EVs: LFP, NMC variants, pros/cons (energy density, safety, cycle life, supply chain)This part compares LFP and NMC for city EVs, focusing on energy and power density, safety, cycle and time life, material supply risks, cost trends, and how duty and weather guide chemistry pick in Zambia.
Main performance measures for EV cell chemistriesLFP features for urban duty cyclesNMC types and performance trade-offsSafety and damage tolerance of LFP vs NMCSupply chain, cost, and local availabilityLesson 5Lifetime and cycle-life modelling: calendar vs cycle aging, depth-of-discharge policies, warranty framingThis part explains life and cycle-life modelling, separating time and cycle wear, discharge depth and heat role, and turning models into warranties, upkeep plans, and value estimates for city EV fleets in Zambia.
Time wear mechanisms and modelsCycle wear vs discharge depth effectsHeat influence on wear ratesSimple life prediction stepsWarranty, remaining value, and fleet planningLesson 6Battery capacity sizing: methods to choose pack kWh for target range and reserve factorThis part details ways to size battery capacity, using drive cycle energy models, efficiency guesses, reserve factors, and wear allowances, to hit range targets while balancing cost, weight, charge time, and fleet use in Zambia.
Drive cycle energy use modellingUsable vs standard capacity meaningsReserve factors and wear marginsCapacity effect on cost and weightSizing for fleets and shared travelLesson 7Battery pack mass estimation: energy density-based calculations and vehicle-level impact on rangeThis part gives methods to estimate pack weight from cell and pack energy density, including structure and cooling extras, and checks how battery weight affects vehicle range, performance, load, and weight class rules for city EVs in Zambia.
Weight and volume energy densityBottom-up pack weight calculation stepsIncluding structure and cooling partsPack weight effect on range and efficiencyLoad, axle weight, and class limitsLesson 8Cell format and mechanical layout: pouch, prismatic, cylindrical trade-offs for manufacturability and repairabilityThis part analyzes pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical cell types, comparing packing efficiency, cooling choices, structure fit, making ease, and repair ease, and shows how module and pack layouts affect cost, safety, and service in Zambia.
Features of pouch, prismatic, cylindricalModule setups and busbar ideasMechanical fixing and vibration strengthCooling plate and air flow integrationService ease and field repair plansLesson 9Battery management system (BMS) essentials: state-of-charge (SoC), state-of-health (SoH), cell balancing, safety cutoffsThis part introduces BMS functions, like SoC and SoH estimates, cell voltage and heat monitoring, balancing plans, safety stops, and vehicle controller links, stressing reliability and safety for city EVs in Zambian use.
Main BMS hardware and sensorsSoC estimate methods and errorsSoH tracking and wear signsPassive vs active cell balancing waysFault spotting, limits, and shutdown logic
