Low Cost and Portable Battery Tester for Hybrid and Electric Vehicle

Abstract:

Hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) have become increasingly popular due to reduced gasoline consumption and significant environmental benefits. The majority of the functions of these vehicles rely on the battery power and batteries tend to degrade over time. Testing and maintenance of the batteries of these vehicles are essential. Thus, hybrid vehicle battery testers are utilized for this purpose. These testers are often expensive and come as a set of gadgets. In particular, the battery testers depend on, computers or mobile devices to display the results when needed. Therefore, the battery testers are getting expensive, and having several types of equipment makes the use of a tester a hassle. To solve these shortcomings, we developed a low-cost, portable hybrid vehicle tester that is custom-made for the Sri Lankan context, focusing on its ease of use and practicality. Our device can successfully detect weak cells present in hybrid and electric vehicle batteries by carefully calculating the discharging time of each of the cells. In addition to being compatible with a variety of hybrid and electric vehicle batteries, this lightweight tester is an inexpensive, self-supporting test tool that complies with sustainable vehicle maintenance processes. This paper discusses the current practice and the methods for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) battery testing and their disadvantages. Furthermore, the development of the low-cost and portable battery tester as well as the main functions of the device are presented in detail. Finally, the results used for the verification of the developed device are presented and discussed.

• Periodical: Advances in Science and Technology (Volume 177)
• Pages: 3-11
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-jP9Reo
• Online since: May 2026
• Authors: Chamika M. Dissanayake*, Vishen Dias, Priyashantha Tennakoon
• Keywords: Arduino, Battery Tester, Hybrid Battery, Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)

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