BorgWarner´s
coolant heaters are expected to appear in 2021 on the next generation of
passenger cars produced by global OEMs. The company has been chosen as a
supplier for cabin heating and battery conditioning solutions for several
high-volume vehicle programmes.
Its leading edge high-voltage heaters have
changed the way automotive engineers think about thermal management
requirements for the most advanced electric and plug-in hybrid passenger cars.
“Our Battery and Cabin Heater has become the technology of choice for some of
the most important electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturers in Europe, North
America and Asia, helping them to reduce battery consumption while increasing passenger
comfort,” said Joe Fadool, President and General Manager, BorgWarner Emissions,
Thermal and Turbo Systems.
“Our
engineers have a deep system understanding of cabin heating and battery
conditioning requirements and are supporting our customers as they prepare new
vehicles for start of production,” h added.
The
new technology was developed to meet the demand for fast-acting solutions as
the heat management systems of vehicles increasingly become decoupled from the
internal combustion engine – permanently in the case of EVs and for longer
parts of the drive cycle in hybrid electric vehicles.
BorgWarner’s
coolant heaters can be used for both passenger cabin heating and improving
battery energy performance in electric and hybrid vehicles by offering consistent
temperature distribution inside the battery pack and its cells.
With
high thermal power density and fast response time due to their low thermal
mass, these heaters also extend pure electric driving range. The thick film
heating element is compact and very flexible regarding sizes and shapes.
BorgWarner has engineered two versions – single plate and dual plate. Single
plate devices are responsible for either thermal management of the battery or
cabin heating, while dual plate versions manage both tasks at the same time
while providing up to 80 percent more heat transfer surface. Both versions are
integrated into robust aluminum housings that provide excellent electromagnetic
shielding. Battery and Cabin Heaters offer a power range of between 3 and 9 kW.
They have been designed for input voltages between 250 and 500 V. If necessary,
there is an 800 V alternative to enable faster battery charging.
Safety
was also paramount in the design. The product development team devised a
strategy for the high-voltage coolant heaters using intelligent and robust
power electronics that enable the prevention of thermal events such as
overheating. As soon as the system detects an error it switches off
automatically.
Source:
BorgWarner