Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Interest in electric vehicles (EVs) including hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles has increased in recent years and Li-ion batteries are the main type of battery used in these vehicles. Thermal management of the Li-ion batteries has important impacts on their performance, life cycle and safety. While the global operation temperature of a vehicle is generally from -45 °C to 55 °C, the more limited battery operation range of 20-40 °C clearly demonstrates the need for an effective battery thermal management system. In this project, we propose integration of polymeric heat pipes with phase change material (PCM) as an effective, low cost and lightweight thermal management system for Li-ion batteries in electric vehicles. The main objective of this project is to fabricate and test a polymeric heat pipe and evaluate its performance under real operating conditions in a battery pack. This novel technology can be potentially 80% less costly and 90% lighter compared with current metallic liquid heat exchangers used in electric vehicles. It is hoped that the outcome of the project will eventually lead to commercial product.