Novel Latent Heat Storage Devices for Thermal Management of Electric Vehicle Battery Systems

A major aspect for safe and efficient operation of battery electric vehicles (BEV) is the thermal management of their battery systems. As temperature uniformity and level highly affect the system performance and the lifetime, a well-defined thermal management system is substantial for high market penetration of next generation BEVs. A lot of different operation scenarios for BEVs can be conceived, with all of them having in common that at some point there is a maximum peak in heat dissipation. This worst case scenario (e.g. during fast charging) must be covered by the system design. Therefore new innovative solutions for the vehicle thermal management system have to be found, including new materials as well as adapted operation strategies. The effect on overall energy consumption, driving range, curb weight and the flexibility that can be achieved by including latent heat storage elements into the cooling system will be presented.