Optimal Layout Co-Design in Hybrid Battery Packs for Electric Racing Cars

The growing interest in hybrid and electric racing cars is driving advancements in energy storage systems. Among these, hybrid battery packs (HBPs) are particularly promising, as they combine high power and energy capabilities to enhance performance over race distances. In this letter, we propose a co-design optimization problem (Co-OP) to simultaneously optimize race time and the HBP layout parameters, including the position and the size of a suitable DC/DC converter to connect the two battery packs and the powertrain. To solve it, we employ a three-layer framework based on a minimum race rime (MRT) problem on a fixed trajectory. Considering a Formula E case study, we demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology, analyze the optimal design for different layout configurations, and compare them in terms of achievable performance, complexity, and robustness.