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Success factor for the new mobility

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Intelligent thermal management makes electric vehicle batteries more efficient and extends their life.

Will we soon be seeing electric cars that can travel 1000 miles or more on a single charge? If so, this could tempt even frequent drivers to consider purchasing an electric vehicle. This picture of the future is starting to seem more likely, even if there are one or two obstacles still to overcome. Companies like VOSS are working hard to make it a reality.

Batteries are a cost driver: The large-scale environmental and economic success of electric and hybrid technology hinges on whether their main value factor can be made to last for years or even decades. Thermal management plays an essential role here. Its task is to keep the operating temperature of the battery as constant as possible, not letting it stray too far from 25°C at any time – whether starting a vehicle cold at -10°C or tackling a long mountain ascent in the middle of summer. This is because the more consistently an energy storage system is kept in the optimum temperature range, the longer its lifespan and the more reliable its performance in terms of output and range.

 

Individual solutions from VOSS

Simplicity requires technical finesse. The challenge here lies in coming up with a smart way to combine heating and cooling circuits, making it possible to use the waste heat from a vehicle intelligently. At the heart of this story lie several technical components: heat exchangers, auxiliary heaters, sensors, valves, quick connectors, and lines for coolant. VOSS has developed connection and distribution concepts for these systems in the form of individual customer solutions – perfectly matched to the manufacturer’s installation requirements, ready to install, supplied with tailored line routing configurations in a variety of cross-sections and materials, suitable for complex and very small installation spaces, and easy to install and remove. The challenges lie in making the systems that transport the media ultra-robust, flexible, leak-tight, and maintenance-free – and ensuring that they stay this way for the entire lifetime of the vehicle.

 

Next-generation thermal management

But that’s not all. Every module within the system represents an opportunity to make improvements that help to boost the efficiency of the entire battery unit and, ultimately, make the vehicle a more economically attractive prospect for buyers. The latest example from the VOSS development department is a new range of valves that complement the existing product portfolio.

 

Just one actuator

At the heart of this innovation lies a brand new valve design, which consists of several stacked valve units that are driven by a single actuator. Compared to conventional valves, this has the advantage that, unlike mechanical/magnetic dual actuators, this new variant makes it possible to integrate a number of intermediate stages, with electrical energy only being consumed during the adjustment process. This single actuator is capable of switching two stacked valve units synchronously, as well as independently from one another.

 

Cost-cutting modular concept

This range of valves forms the basis for a modular concept that can be used to modify and optimize new or existing cooling circuits – for greater flexibility in small sizes and, ultimately, a clear cost advantage over conventional valve types.

 

VOSS: the partner for battery temperature control

With its new range of coolant valves, VOSS is making further progress in positioning itself as a developer and provider of complete thermal management solutions for the vehicle industry. VOSS operates its own test and prototype workshops at locations worldwide and can swiftly provide its customers with prototypes for in-vehicle use that can be transferred 1:1 to later series products. In summary, VOSS offers practical solutions that make a major contribution toward improving the efficiency of battery systems, which in turn is the basis for increasing the range of electric vehicles.