Rivian Automotive, Inc.
Auxiliary energy system architecture

Abstract:

A battery system of a vehicle may include a main battery pack, a secondary battery pack, and one or more secondary contactors. The main battery pack is integrated into the vehicle and includes a first plurality of battery cells, a first DC bus coupled to the first plurality of battery cells, and main contactors coupled to the first DC bus to form a switched DC bus. The secondary battery pack includes a second plurality of battery cells, and a second DC bus coupled to the second plurality of battery cells. The second DC bus of the secondary battery pack is electrically coupled to the switched DC bus of the main battery pack via the secondary contactors. In some embodiments, the main battery pack includes control circuitry configured to communicate with control circuitry of the secondary battery pack to manage or monitor coupling of the battery packs.