A Low-Cost Hardware Design to Prevent Unauthorized Charging of Electric Vehicle Batteries

Electric vehicles significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pollution. They rely on rechargeable batteries, with Lithium-Ion being the most efficient due to their low self-discharge rate, large operating range, high energy density, and long life cycle. This paper introduces an Arduino-based, low-cost hardware system to prevent battery theft in electric vehicles. Vehicle component theft, especially batteries, is a growing problem as they are easy to steal and resell. The prototype presented ensures that a stolen battery is unusable without the owner’s consent. The system uses Arduino and Bluetooth modules to provide a cost-effective solution for vehicle owners. Experimental results demonstrate the system’s ability to effectively prevent unauthorized charging across various scenarios. The system successfully ensures that only authenticated users can charge the battery, offering enhanced security and reliability. These results validate the practicality and robustness of the proposed solution..