Increase in range of a battery electric vehicle by means of predictive thermal management

Abstract

Battery electric vehicles (BEV) allow local emission free travelling and are also capable of reducing the anthropogenic emission of CO 2 . Since the waste heat of a BEV is much smaller than in any combustion engine driven car the energy for the heating of the cabin has to be taken from another source. If the energy is drawn from the traction battery the driving range is affected severely. Hence, offering more comfort and extending the driving range become counteracting development strategies. To predict how the driving range is influenced by the need for comfort a predictive simulation tool was developed. The paper will show how the range of the battery electric vehicle can be increased by thermal management strategies. The objective of the presented investigations is to quantify the potential of optimizations of the thermal management system. Therefore, the thermal management system is configured in a modular way. Thus, it is possible to attribute savings achieved via single alterations in the system, such as the addition of a cabin heat exchanger or a heat pump. For the use in a BEV the capability of the thermal management system has been increased to be able to include predictive strategies and adapt to the driver's demands. Furthermore, the effect of preconditioning on the total energy balance and range is analyzed and depicted. This shows the importance of including preconditioning in thermal management to increase the range of a BEV. The paper is a summary of the results of the FVV project "Wärmemanagement an batteriebetriebenen Elektrofahrzeugen (WBEF)".