A two-step identification approach for an extended nonlinear double-capacitor model

Equivalent circuits are one of the most used models for Li-ion cells in the automotive area. However, it is a challenge to these models to be able to capture the cell discharge capacity under different loads, while still being accurate on both continuous charge and dynamic tests, fast to compute, and easy to parametrize from non-specialized data. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes an extension of the nonlinear double capacitor model by increasing its order, parameter dependency with C-rate, and an identification procedure that exploits the pseudo-linear nature of the problem to find the parameter maps. An analogy between the parts of the circuit and the single particle model is also presented to reduce the search space of the identification algorithm and to enhance model interpretability. The performance of the proposed model extension is analyzed and compared to a state-of-the-art model on a challenging LiFePO4 dataset with different characteristics and validated on a realistic drive cycle, obtaining a mean absolute average error of around 20 mV for both training and validation tests.