Battery thermal management

Abstract

A lithium-ion battery for mobile applications needs efficient thermal management to guarantee the required service life of more than 10 years as well as full performance and availability under all operating and environmental conditions. Thermal management comprises cooling as well as heating. Lithium-ion batteries are available in a multitude of variants, with considerably differing cell chemistry and design. Thermal management therefore must be adapted to the respective variant’s requirements. This also applies to the large number of different vehicle applications, ranging from the subcompact car to the sports car and from the low-level hybrid vehicle to the entirely electricity-driven vehicle. These different types impose different thermal management requirements on the drive battery. Integration into the vehicle’s Thermal management also plays an important role. The car manufacturers pursue approaches that vary immensely.