Development of Vehicle Thermal Management Model for Improving the Energy Efficiency of Electric Vehicle

Recently, automobile manufacturers are interested in the development of battery electric vehicle (BEV) having a longer mileage to satisfy customer needs. The BEV with high efficiency depends on the temperature of the electric components. Hence it is important to study the effect of the cooling system in electric vehicle in order to optimize efficiency and performance. In this study, we present a 1-D vehicle thermal management (VTM) simulation model. The individual vehicle subsystems were modeled including cooling, power electric (PE), mechanical, and control components. Each component was integrated into a single VTM model and it would be used to calculate energy transfer among electrical, thermal, and mechanical energy. As a result, this simulation model predicts a plenty of information including the state of each component such as temperature, energy consumption, and operating point about electric vehicle depending on driving cycles and environmental conditions. The characteristic of each component in VTM model was validated with test data and 3D simulation results. The integrated VTM model was validated by comparing test results for test car with measuring equipment. This model would be helpful to optimize a thermal management concept of BEV at the early stage of vehicle development. VTM model would be used to evaluate a control mapping by virtually evaluating for a long-range BEV. Through this virtual development, electric vehicles with high efficiency can be built quickly.