Electric Vehicle Liquid Cold Plate Solution

In the era of the increasing popularity of electric vehicles, we see that in addition to the general small cars, more and more models are becoming electrically powered. For different models, automakers may need to design new types of batteries, such as large electric special vehicles that require a lot of power (such as fire trucks and garbage trucks), and new batteries for such models because of the enormous power consumption, which leads to strict thermal and weight management requirements.

Electric Vehicle Battery Cooling Challenges

The power demands of specialty vehicles required new, larger battery packs for each EV model, which could result in high thermal loads. To ensure that larger battery packs remain cool enough to operate throughout the vehicle's life, custom liquid cold plates (LCPs) designed specifically for this application are required. Each cell also required a high-performance TIM (Thermal Interface Material) to contact the cell heat source and minimize heat loss during transfer to the liquid cold plate and liquid cooling system.

Battery and Inverter Cooling

The essential technologies driving the growth and adoption of electric vehicles are batteries and inverters, which convert battery energy into mechanical power to drive the vehicle. There is a correlation between lower battery costs and EV adoption, which has led to an engineering focus on battery cost savings. Improvements in battery capacity, charging speed, and reliability have driven innovation to create lighter, smaller, and higher power batteries for better performance and lower total cost of ownership. Cost-saving measures and design innovations in batteries lead to higher-density thermal loads that must be managed in compact form. Cooling systems must be developed to meet the requirements of size, weight, and performances but not to negate the reduced cost of the cell.

Higher heat flux inverters make electricity available to operate the vehicle, which adds another layer of complexity to critical cooling systems. Batteries and high heat flux inverters work together, although their cooling requirements may differ. Battery thermal management relies on maximizing the surface area that can be uniformly cooled. Inverter power density varies depending on the localized high power density heat source that requires localized hot spot heat dispersion and cooling. Inverters must also be cooled below critical temperatures to optimize vehicle performance. The cooling system must be customized to optimize the battery's cooling and various inverters from the same system, coolant, and cooling loop to save space, weight, and cost.

Weight

Weight is an essential factor in designing liquid cold plates for electric vehicles. This is because the size of the LCP may affect the battery range during the final testing and evaluation phase. To ensure that the increased LCP weight has minimal impact on battery range, it also became critical that the cold plate be as compact and lightweight as possible.

Liquid cold plate solutions for electric vehicles

Winshare thermal has extensive experience in designing EV cooling solutions, and the specific cooling solutions vary from one EV model to another, and our dedicated technical team will tailor the most appropriate solution for the customer's specific project.

When designing a solution, we consider not only the cooling performance but also the electric car's performance and design the best cooling solution for the customer without affecting the car's performance. If you are interested, you can learn more about Winshare's electric car cooling solutions through our page "Electric car cooling solution."

In addition to electric car cooling solutions, Winshare thermal provides cooling products and solutions for various industrial equipment and projects. If you have a project that requires cooling advice, please feel free to leave a message or contact us via email.