A Systematic and Comparative Study of Distinct Recurrent Neural Networks for Lithium-Ion Battery State-of-Charge Estimation in Electric Vehicles

The precise estimation of the state of charge (SOC) is fundamental to the reliable operation of lithium-ion batteries. The development of deep learning techniques makes it possible to employ advanced methods to estimate a battery’s SOC. In order to better utilize a recurrent neural network (RNN) for battery SOC estimation, this paper conducts a comparative study of SOC estimation methods based on different RNN models. First, a general framework for deep-learning-based SOC estimation is undertaken, followed by the description of four kinds of RNNs employed in the estimation. Then, the estimation performances of these RNN models are compared under three scenarios, including the SOC estimation accuracy, the adaptability against different battery aging statuses, and the robustness against measurement uncertainties, in which the estimation performances of different RNN models are quantitively evaluated. Finally, a multiple-criteria decision-making method based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is utilized to reflect the comprehensive performance of each RNN model, and the model with the highest score could be chosen for online SOC estimation during actual applications. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of RNN models in battery SOC estimation and could help battery management engineers develop the most appropriate estimation methods.