A Vehicle Integrated Thermal Management System for Electric Busses

The goal of a vehicle thermal management system for an electric vehicle is to guarantee both the optimal comfort in the passengers’ and driver’s cabin and the optimal working conditions for the battery, motor and power electronics. In this study we present a vehicle integrated thermal management system that, thanks to a secondary coolant loop and an intelligent valves system, guarantees energy optimization. In particular, the secondary coolant loop connects thermally all the vehicle devices, allowing to heat the cabin by recovering the thermal power released by the power electronics and the electric motor. In this paper, through a numerical model of the system, we analyse the benefits of two different secondary coolant loop layouts on the capability of the system to recover the power dissipated by the electric motor and power electronics.