Vulnerabilities of Electric Vehicle Battery Packs to Cyberattacks on Auxiliary Components

Modern automobiles are entirely controlled by electronic circuits and programs which undoubtedly exposes them to the threat of cyberattacks. Alongside, there is a potential for massive growth in electric vehicle (EV) adoption. The cyber vulnerabilities are magnified with electric vehicles because of the unique and critical risks that entail most EV batteries. EV battery packs provide ‘limited driving range’ and have ‘finite lifetime’, and there is widespread anxiety regarding range and life. In this study, we develop a systematic framework to model cyberattacks on auxiliary components and identify the consequent impact on EV batteries. We model the possible cyberattacks on auxiliary components by engaging them in various ’modes’ and analyze the impact on battery packs described through a physics-driven experimentally-validated model that accurately captures battery dynamics and degradation. In the short-term, cyberattacks could deplete a battery pack by up to 20% per hour and completely drain the available range. The EV battery pack is most vulnerable to cyberattacks when it is fully charged due to the influence of state-of-charge (SOC) on the battery health. For long-term impact, we explore the location effect of attack and identify that cyberattacks could cause a 3-fold increase in the internal resistance (an indicator of cycle life) in cold regions versus hot regions. We believe that the methodology and the approach presented will help in building the foundational principles for cyber-security in the context of electric vehicles; a very nascent but crucially important topic in the coming years.