Automakers eye thermal gains in next-gen EV platforms

As electric vehicles (EVs) mature and more automakers enter the fray, stakeholders are eager to find any and every advantage over their rivals. Priorities include longer range, better energy efficiency, and faster recharging times. All of these are dependent on an EV’s overall thermal efficiency.

What is considered standard in this space has changed in the last decade. The Nissan Leaf, the early EV leader, relied on air-cooled batteries, with air from the vehicle’s heating and ventilation systems channelled over the cells. This was a sufficient solution in the early 2010s, but increases in EV range, performance and charging expectations mean that automakers are looking to new solutions.