Vibracoustic develops 'next-gen' EV thermal management

Weinheim, Germany – Vibracoustic has developed a ‘thermal management decoupling system’ that supports and isolates thermal-management technologies used in battery electric vehicles.

The new system addresses a major challenge for the electric vehicle industry: optimising the bundling of thermal-management components for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC).

The ‘all-in architecture’ enables OEMs to save space, increase efficiency, and streamline assembly, and can be ‘carried over in other vehicles without additional engineering,’ said Vibracoustic 11 June.

By co-locating rather than separating thermal systems throughout the vehicle, suppliers save space while also simplifying routing complexity and hose and cable lengths, the German manufacturer added.

This reduces 'pressure losses' between thermal components and improves system performance and efficiency, while also allowing easier and more streamlined assembly and service access.

Already in serial production, the new product has been adopted by “leading international OEMs” for their “next-generation” large battery-electric vehicles such as SUVs, pick-ups, and vans.

In such vehicles, the bundled thermal module consists of an air conditioning compressor, accumulator, pumps, and heat exchanger, among other components.

The components are mounted directly to the vehicle chassis and connected by hoses and cables.

According to Vibracoustic, prior to the company’s involvement, early design iterations proved to be “too stiff and heavy, resulting in weight, cost, and packaging penalties.”

‘Rethinking the design,’ Vibracoustic’s engineers took into consideration the effect of attachment points, cables, and hoses on the stiffness and damping of the entire system.

The team developed a bracket and mounting system that effectively “cradles and isolates” the consolidated systems, the company added.

“This project was an important opportunity for us to elevate NVH management in next generation battery electric vehicles,” said Dr Joerg Boecking, CTO at Vibracoustic.