Thermal control of EV starts with the very first step, charging of the battery. Efficiency, level and repeatability of the charge are all heavily influenced by the temperature of the battery during charge.
In a traditional ICE vehicle, thermal management can be best summarized as the removal of excess heat from the combustion process. However, within fully electrical vehicles (EV) of hybrid drives thermal management is significantly more important and therefore challenging.
Thermal control of EV starts with the very first step, charging of the battery. There are an increasing range of power inputs to vehicles, both AC and DC, and at this the battery temperature itself needs to be controlled, especially during rapid charge, to prevent thermal runaway. What is less well understood is that the efficiency, level and repeatability of the charge are all heavily influenced by the temperature of the battery during charge.
During the operation of the vehicle the range and lifetime of the battery are massively influenced by the temperature, for example the AAA reported that at -5°C EV batteries can be reduced by up to 44%.
Julabo’s special projects division has a particular focus on customized solutions in the automotive testing industry. For example, temperature control systems with precise flow measurement and control.
Julabo offers a comprehensive range of temperature control solutions to simulate real world conditions so that each component can be tested, in research or in series production. This includes the precise delivery of engine coolant at both controlled temperature and controlled flow rate so that performance can be assessed and proven at extreme conditions.
The special projects division of Julabo has developed, in partnership with vehicle and component manufacturers, turnkey solutions to allow for the rapid cycling of product plus temperature profiling across the entire automotive temperature range. These includes inverters, motors, switch valves and of course batteries.
The PRESTO W56 process systems are able to work with standard water-glycol mixtures and, thanks to various interfaces, can be integrated in all kinds of test benches or quality measurement systems.
In addition, it has developed solutions to allow for the measurement of charge/discharge cycles of batteries at different and changing temperatures that allow for the understanding of and development of lifetime figures for battery packs working under real world conditions.
Gary Etherington, manager, Julabo
