At the heart of the project is research into an efficient cooling and air-conditioning system.Building on an analysis of the main energy flows while running an electric vehicle, a heat pump with a new valve concept is being studied, which should make possible cost and energy efficient heating of electric vehicles in winter, and cooling in summer.
In future the broad acceptance of electric vehicles by customers is largely dependent on their suitability for day-to-day living, as well as their costs. Here, the efficient use of the heat and energy available in the vehicle represents a technology that is key to raising the market penetration of electric vehicles.
In the project “Holistic thermal management in the e-vehicle (GaTE)”, research into an efficient cooling and air conditioning system is being carried out. Based on an analysis of the main energy flows while running an electric vehicle, a heat pump is being studied, in which the coolant is used as source of heat and as heat sink, between which the usable heat is transmitted. This heat pump with its new valve concept should make possible cost and energy efficient heating of electric vehicles in winter, and cooling in summer. The need for heating the interior, and consequently the demand for energy, is to be reduced even more by increasing the recirculation of air. In addition, a new kind of fogging sensor is being studied to continue to ensure that windows don’t fog up.
The holistic thermal management system being studied in the project is capable of reducing electrical energy requirements of the vehicle’s air conditioning system, consequently increasing the operating range of electric vehicles. The system can reduce the power of the heating system in winter by up to 60%, thus increasing operating range by up to 25%.
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Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)