Sliding Mode Control Strategy for Thermal Management of Automotive Lithium-Ion Battery Systems

In recent years, with the rapid promotion and expansion of electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy industries, lithium-ion batteries have been widely adopted as a stable and reliable energy source. In pure electric passenger vehicles, lithium-ion batteries serve as the primary energy storage system that directly impacts user safety. The temperature management of lithium-ion battery systems plays a crucial role in battery lifespan, charge-discharge efficiency, and operational safety. This study focuses on the thermal management system of lithium-ion batteries for passenger vehicles, establishing a thermal model and formulating nonlinear state equations for the system. A sliding mode controller (SMC) was developed based on an integral sliding surface equation. Through simulation experiments, the proposed controller was compared with conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers under the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) cycle regarding temperature regulation performance. The results demonstrate that this methodology effectively reduces adjustment time and achieves superior temperature control compared to traditional approaches.