Development of Novel Bipolar Nickel/Metal Hydride Batteries for Hybrid Electric Vehicles

This paper deals with the design and development of bipolar Ni/MH batteries. After optimizing the parameters of bipolar plates by adjusting electrode thickness and modifying the capacity ratio of two adjacent electrodes of a single cell, some bipolar Ni/MH stacks with a voltage of 6 V were assembled and examined. Electrochemical testing results showed that the bipolar battery has excellent high rate discharge and recharge characteristics, satisfying pulse discharge performance even in a low state of charge (SOC). Moreover, the battery showed good stability during pulse cycles as simulating hybrid electric vehicle working conditions. It would be a promising alternative for power storage system in hybrid electric vehicles.