Innovations in EV Battery Thermal Management During Charging

An electric vehicle thermal management system uses energy from an external charging station to condition a fluid medium, which is then used to regulate the battery pack temperature for optimal performance. The system contains a fluid circuit to circulate a heat-conducting fluid like refrigerant through a heat exchanger to absorb or reject heat from the battery pack. Components like pumps, heat exchangers, valves, and heaters in the fluid circuit can be powered by the grid during charging to condition the fluid. This avoids drawing power from the onboard battery during driving, improving range.

A method for optimally controlling battery temperature during charging to maximize charge capacity and minimize charge time. The method uses the vehicle's thermal management system to adjust the battery coolant temperature. It involves measuring the battery temperature and state of charge while charging, determining an optimized target temperature for that charge, and adjusting the coolant temperature using the HVAC and battery cooling systems.

Thermal conditioning an electric vehicle battery pack during charging to prevent overheating or overcooling. The vehicle is connected to a charging station that receives thermal information about the battery pack. The station then provides targeted cooling or heating to the pack during charging based on that information. This prevents extreme temperatures that can damage the pack. The station uses an arm with connectors to couple to the vehicle's thermal ports and exchange fluid or air.

A thermal management system for electric vehicle battery packs that provides a backup heating solution if the primary battery pack heater fails. The system uses a secondary heater that can be selectively connected to the battery pack to heat it when needed. If the primary battery heater fails, the backup heater automatically activates and connects to the battery pack to prevent cold charging damage and maintain battery performance.

A vehicle battery cooling system that uses separate cooling circuits to cool a battery while driving and while charging. The system has a first fluid circuit to circulate cooling fluid to cool the battery while the vehicle is in motion. This prevents overheating due to discharge. There is also a second fluid circuit to cool the battery while it is charging. This prevents overheating due to charging. The circuits are independent from each other.

Thermal management system for efficiently cooling an electric vehicle battery during fast charging that reduces energy consumption. The system has a primary refrigerant circuit for vehicle cabin air conditioning, and a secondary refrigerant circuit for battery cooling. The circuits exchange heat through a heat exchanger. The primary circuit uses a lower capacity compressor. This allows efficient battery cooling during fast charging without needing a high capacity compressor that would consume more energy.

Vehicle energy storage cooling system that balances cooling during charging mode and discharging mode to optimize cooling performance and efficiency. The system uses an onboard cooling architecture with passages near the energy storage system. During discharging, it uses waste power to cool the system to a design temperature. During charging, it receives off-board cooling flow to prevent overheating. By separately optimizing cooling for each mode, it avoids overcooling during charging and overheating during discharging. The onboard architecture can be designed for the discharging mode and use off-board cooling during charging to maintain peak temperature.

Thermal management system for electric vehicle batteries that improves charging efficiency and life span across a range of temperatures. It uses a cooling liquid loop and refrigerant loop that can be selectively interconnected in different circulation modes. In one mode, a portion of cooling liquid circulates through a heater and radiator to warm the battery and passenger compartment. In another mode, a portion of cooling liquid is isolated to cool the battery.

An external charging system for electric vehicles that provides coolant to prevent batteries from overheating during high-speed charging. The system uses a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger in the vehicle to cool the batteries. The exchanger has separate coolant loops for internal and external coolant. The external charger pumps coolant through the exchanger to cool the batteries without mixing coolants. This allows fast charging without overheating.

A thermal management system for electric vehicle batteries that cools the battery during charging by circulating refrigerant through the battery heat exchanger. The refrigerant is stored in a separate reservoir outside the vehicle. A connector links the reservoir to the vehicle's heat exchanger and charging port. When connected, a pump circulates the refrigerant to cool the battery while it charges.

Charging a plug-in hybrid vehicle more efficiently by intelligently controlling the cooling of the on-board charger (OBC). The voltage of the high-voltage battery is monitored and when it is within a reference range, the coolant circulation frequency and intensity are reduced to save power. When the voltage is outside the reference range, the coolant circulation is increased to cool the OBC more intensely. This prevents excessive cooling when not needed and optimizes cooling when the battery is stressed.

Thermal management system for electric vehicles that enables active cooling of batteries during fast charging without mixing coolants. The system uses an external coolant source at charging stations to cool the batteries during charging. It directs the external coolant to a separate heat exchanger that is thermally coupled to the battery coolant circuit. The battery coolant circuit is isolated from the external coolant. This allows cooling of the batteries during charging without mixing coolants. A control module monitors temperatures and directs the external coolant flow based on conditions.

A thermally-conductive coating applied to the periphery of a lithium-ion battery cell to allow internally-generated thermal energy to be conducted away. This helps extract heat generated during charging and discharging. The coated battery is then thermally coupled to a fluid-cooled thermal management assembly.

Battery cooling system for electric vehicles that improves heat removal from the battery pack to enable faster charging and enhance battery life. It uses internal cooling channels with heat transfer plates between battery cells. Coolant flows through the channels to directly contact the heat transfer plates and extract heat. This eliminates the need for thermal interface materials between the plates and channels, improving heat transfer efficiency.

Vehicle battery temperature regulation system that allows a vehicle battery to be used as a heat storage unit while minimizing power consumption. The system has a battery temperature regulation unit, a heat exchanger between the battery and vehicle air conditioning, and a controller. When charging externally, the controller determines if heat storage is needed. If so, it raises the target battery temperature during charging to allow heat accumulation. This allows the battery to be warmed using external power and then use the stored heat for applications like the HVAC system, without extra power draw.

A battery cooling control system and method for electric vehicles that enables optimal fast charging without sacrificing battery life. The system monitors the battery temperature when charging is scheduled and activates cooling using an electric water pump and chiller to lower the temperature if needed. The cooling control mode is determined based on the current battery temperature. This allows charging at the maximum rate while avoiding overheating.

Controlling the temperature of coolant in an energy storage enclosure to prevent condensation damage while maximizing battery charging rate. The method involves detecting a charging request, determining the dew point inside the enclosure during charging, and regulating coolant temperature to keep it above the dew point. This prevents condensation inside the enclosure. The method also sets the coolant temperature above a threshold to minimize lithium plating during charging.

Thermal conditioning system to prevent lithium-ion battery cell plating during fast charging at low temperatures. The system involves using carbon nanotubes sheets in contact with battery cells to provide targeted localized heating to prevent lithium plating. When a cell temperature drops below a threshold, current is directed through the adjacent nanotube sheet to heat the cell until reaching an optimum temperature. This mitigates plating without needing full pack preheating. By avoiding lithium plating, the system allows fast charging and operation at cold temperatures.

Monitoring battery temperature during charging to prevent thermal runaway. The system uses temperature sensors at the batteries and ambient temperature sensors. It compares the difference between battery and ambient temperatures during charging. If the difference exceeds a threshold, it triggers an alert and disconnects the battery from charging to prevent overheating.

An electric vehicle cooling system that can cool components like a battery and charger during charging by using a heat medium that can circulate through a circuit connecting the components. The system has a switching unit to control circulation of the heat medium. It can switch between a circulation state, where the heat medium flows through the circuit to cool the components, and a non-circulation state, where the heat medium is isolated. This allows the components to be pre-cooled before charging starts, then isolated during charging to prevent heat from spreading. The switching unit can automatically transition between the states based on factors like component temperatures.

Cooling an EV battery pack during fast charging to prevent overheating. The system uses a water cooling setup with an added thermoelectric module between the coolant inlet and outlet. When the charging C-rate exceeds a threshold, the module is activated to cool the coolant. This lowers the battery temperature during fast charging to improve cooling efficiency compared to ambient air alone.