An ultra-fast charging strategy for lithium-ion battery at low temperature without lithium plating

Conventional charging methods for lithium-ion battery (LIB) are challenged with vital problems at low temperatures: risk of lithium (Li) plating and low charging speed. This study proposes a fast-charging strategy without Li plating to achieve high-rate charging at low temperatures with bidirectional chargers. The strategy combines the pulsed-heating method and the optimal charging method via precise control of the battery states. A thermo-electric coupled model is developed based on the pseudo-two-dimensional (P2D) electrochemical model to derive charging performances. Two current maps of pulsed heating and charging are generated to realize real-time control. Therefore, our proposed strategy achieves a 3 C equivalent rate at 0 °C and 1.5 C at −10 °C without Li plating, which is 10–30 times faster than the traditional methods. The entropy method is employed to balance the charging speed and the energy efficiency, and the charging performance is further enhanced. For practical application, the power limitation of the charger is considered, and a 2.4 C equivalent rate is achieved at 0 °C with a 250 kW maximum power output. This novel strategy significantly expands LIB usage boundary, and increases charging speed and battery safety.