Self-sustained and Smart Battery Thermal Management Solution for Battery Electric Vehicles
With a share of 30 percent, the transport sector is one of the largest CO2 emitters, and there is a great need for action in this area in order to be able to achieve the climate goals. Electric vehicles use energy much more efficiently than conventional vehicles with combustion engines and therefore play a decisive role in achieving the climate goals.
The European SELFIE project is addressing a key challenge in the context of establishing electromobility - battery performance, which in turn is significantly influenced by the operating temperature. Deviations from the optimal temperature window not only lead to a deterioration in battery properties, but can also cause safety-related problems. These challenges manifest themselves in a particularly pronounced manner in energy-intensive processes such as fast charging or excessive discharging of the battery. In this context, an efficient thermal management system that regulates the temperature of the battery in a targeted manner and thus significantly optimizes the overall driving experience of an electric vehicle is of central importance.
Within SELFIE, a smart, modular, scalable and energy-efficient concept for battery thermal management was developed. An adaptive design of the battery system allows flexible expansion of battery capacity and voltage. This novel solution has been thoroughly evaluated through extensive experimental functionality testing as well as functional safety modeling. The overall solution finds its practical application in a demonstration vehicle – a Fiat Doblò, validated by comprehensive test series on test benches, test tracks and in real road traffic.
As part of the high-level project consortium, AIT experts were involved in CFD simulations for the numerical modeling of multiphase flows in heat exchangers. Furthermore, simulations were carried out for the thermal management of the battery module, with which AIT made a significant contribution to the success of this project.
Mirza Popovac, who is responsible for the project at AIT, explains: "If we look at the development of electric mobility from the user's perspective, the focus is on costs and efficiency. The basic consideration is as follows: If the expectations of users are met, especially in terms of charging time and range, while at the same time offering comparable performance at an acceptable cost, then the transition from conventional combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles will be smooth."
Project video
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 824290.
