Enhancing Vehicle Performance with Thermal Management

Over 2 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide in 2018, with their market share increasing to 2.4% of all new registrations. This trend is expected to rise significantly in the coming decade as targets for a reduction in emissions begin to take force.

This represents a huge shift in the automotive industry, as lithium-ion battery-powered cars become as common as traditional internal combustion engine powered vehicles. Electric vehicles present considerable challenges for automakers as they must provide consumers with comparable performance in terms of range, reliability, and driving experience. At the same time, EVs must still provide the latest technology consumers have come to expect such as climate control, sat nav, and connected services.

Meeting the challenges requires innovation, particularly in terms of thermal management of batteries and other key components. In conventional ICE vehicles, there are generally quite generous tolerances regarding the operating temperatures of mechanical components but this is not the case with electric vehicles. Batteries and electronic components in EVs have a much reduced window of tolerance when it comes to operating temperature, and poor thermal management can have a significant, negative effect on performance. 

Read this article to find out Why Thermal Management is Crucial to Performance, Top Ways to Enhance Vehicle Performance and how key players like Bosch and Continental do it.