Field evaluation of Honda's EV PLUS battery packs

The EV PLUS demonstration program provides an opportunity to evaluate battery life while gaining expertise in managing Ni-MH battery technology under real-world conditions. Since individual customers use the vehicles, Honda developed a battery service and evaluation system convenient to customers, yet not burdensome to dealer service. This paper discusses the method of detection of low battery capacity, the technique used to convey this information to users, the bench evaluation system of returned batteries, and explains how the analysis is utilized to enhance the EV PLUS' battery control strategy.