Climate-resilient intelligent charging of solar electric vehicles for improved algorithmic performance and battery stress mitigation under tropical conditions in Uganda

Abstract

Solar-powered electric-vehicle (EV) charging in tropical, PV-rich regions such as Uganda faces coupled stressors from high ambient temperature and intermittent solar irradiance, which can destabilize conventional constant-current/constant-voltage (CC/CV) charging and accelerate lithium-ion battery degradation. This systematic narrative review synthesizes experimental, simulation, and pilot evidence (2015–2025) on battery-side charging algorithms for solar-EV systems, focusing on how control strategies influence battery temperature, state-of-charge (SOC) accuracy, energy efficiency, and capacity fade under climate-relevant operating conditions. Across the reviewed literature, adaptive and intelligent approaches, including pulse and multistage CC/CV, Model Predictive Control (MPC), and neural-network (NN)/fuzzy-logic methods, are frequently reported to improve charging robustness and reduce thermal and electrochemical stress relative to baseline CC/CV in hot and solar-variable settings. Under specific conditions, individual studies report SOC-error reductions of up to ~ 70%, capacity-loss reductions of ~ 40–60%, and energy-efficiency gains of ~ 5–8%; other field/laboratory studies in hot, PV-driven environments report more moderate improvements (SOC tracking ~ 10–15%, peak temperature reductions ~ 4–6 °C, and capacity-retention gains ~ 8–12% over ~ 12 months, depending on system architecture and control inputs). Collectively, the evidence indicates that climate-resilient charging benefits from integrating predictive/adaptive control, explicit thermal constraints, and, where feasible, PV buffering/energy storage to stabilize charging trajectories and slow degradation in tropical deployments. The review also highlights a critical gap: battery-level, long-duration validations under realistic Uganda/East Africa irradiance and temperature profiles remain scarce, motivating targeted experimental campaigns to support standardization and scalable implementation.