New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management
Vehicle Thermal Management System Components
The cooling systems of new energy vehicles typically consist of three main components: the battery cooling circulation system, the motor and power electronics cooling circulation system, and the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) circulation system. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) models feature an additional component: an internal combustion engine cooling circulation system.
The battery circulation system primarily heats or cools the battery pack; the motor circulation system primarily cools the drive motor and the CIDD (Drive Motor Controller); and the HVAC system primarily heats or cools the passenger cabin. Key functional components include electronic water pumps, three-way and two-way solenoid valves, PTC heaters, heat exchangers, liquid-gas separators, radiators, expansion tanks, cooling pipelines, and various mounting brackets. Utilizing the electronic water pump as the motive force and coolant as the medium-with solenoid valves controlling the flow direction-the cooling medium circulates through the pipelines, passing through radiators and the components requiring cooling. Through the process of heat exchange, the system dissipates heat and lowers temperatures, thereby ensuring that the operating temperatures of these functional components remain consistently within an ideal range to maximize their performance.
Regardless of whether the vehicle is a purely electric model or a hybrid model, the battery thermal management circulation loop operates independently of the other systems; the primary reason for this separation is that the optimal operating temperature range of the battery pack differs significantly from that of the other systems. Typically, the operating temperature of the battery pack must not exceed 35°C, whereas the drive motor frequently operates at around 55°C, and the internal combustion engine operates within a range of approximately 95°C; consequently, each circulation loop must function independently.
