Cost Effective Techniques for SCEV to Improve Performance & Life of Battery and Motor by Using Efficient Thermal Systems 2024-26-0275

The automotive world is moving towards electric powertrain systems. The electric powertrain systems have emerged as a promising alternative to the conventional powertrain system. The performance of electric vehicle is highly dependent on operating temperature of electric and electronic components of the vehicle. All power electronics and electric components in EV generate heat during operation and it must be removed to prevent overheating of components. Higher temperatures raise safety concerns whereas lower temperatures deteriorate the performance of power electronics & electric components. These power electronics & electrical components perform efficiently and safely if operated within certain temperature range.

This paper presents an advanced efficient cost-effective thermal technique for small commercial electric vehicle (SCEV) to improve the performance & life of major electric components. It is observed from literature survey that this is a novel technology for small commercial electric vehicles. The one-dimensional (1D) simulation approach is employed to evaluate the performance of the existing thermal management systems for battery, motor, cabin and power electronics cooling & heating during various charging and discharge modes at different ambient temperature conditions. Further, advanced efficient cost-effective thermal management techniques are proposed and analysed by 1D simulation approach. The proposed thermal management techniques consist of simple and cost-effective thermal architectures having 3-way & 4-way valves which helps to recover waste heat, reduces compressor duty cycle and improve the overall vehicle performance in terms of range improvement or battery downsizing to achieve the same range. Simulations performed for new technique show that the combination of these techniques can significantly improve the thermal behaviour of the battery & electric motor as well as the range of the vehicle by 4 - 5 km. Also, it will improve the life of battery and motor. The additional cost of 3-way & 4-way valve at vehicle level will get recover within short duration of time compared to vehicle life.

Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of the proposed thermal management system is demonstrated, making it a viable solution for all electric small commercial vehicles. This study provides valuable insights for the design and development of efficient and cost-effective thermal management systems for small commercial electric vehicles.