28 Sep Our economical solution for electric cars
The customer approached us to design the type and heat output of air heaters for heating the battery in an electric car. From the beginning, the concept was given. The batteries needed to be heated with air. The whole system consisted of storage racks, where the batteries were heated for 3 hours at a temperature of up to 32 degrees. Each battery had its own cell and was monitored if the cycle was complete and ready for the next operation. We started the calculations and calculated the power needed to heat the required amount of air. We were surprises by the huge amount of needed energy. We started thinking about how to reduce it. We have calculated that such a solution will be very unfavorable for workers and facilities in the area, that they will be greatly affected by such a large amount of warm air. And the whole operation will be very inefficient and expensive.
After meeting with the customer and a closer map of the needs and problems of production, we confirmed that a more suitable solution needs to be found. The plan was to insulate the shelves, but this would make the whole project more expensive, and even so, this solution would not be very efficient, as the batteries would have to be removed frequently and heat leaks would still be very significant.
During one creative discussion in our team, it occurred to us to use infrared panels, not to heat the air around the battery, but directly to the battery. Since it was a completely new concept, no one knew if this method would not damage the batteries or seal them. The advantages of this solution were considerable, the performance was significantly reduced. The surroundings were not affected, regulation was simpler and there was no need to insulate the shelves. So the solution is much more efficient and cheaper. The whole success was based on how to heat the battery evenly and quickly over the entire surface.
After several tests, we found the dependences on the shape and size of the panels and the heating rate. Using thermal imaging, we optimized the shape and performance of the panels until we reached the optimal state.
We not only reduced energy savings by targeting the batteries by heating ( minimizing air heating losses), but it turned out that the panel had enough heat capacity to go in pulse mode, warm up for a few minutes and then turn off. This has resulted in even greater savings in electricity.
As this solution by the infra-panels was easy to install and materially demanding, the order could be completed in less time than planned. When other branches of electric car production in the world also learned of this solution, they expressed interest and wanted to implement it in their operations as well.
Creative solutions are our basic view of how we want to help you. We see creativity in simplicity, which can solve even the most complex problems and keeps your costs low.
