Fast charging remains a hot topic for manufacturers of EVs, with one of the most significant challenges being keeping battery packs cool at high charge rates. To this end, Mahle has announced the release of a new condenser for use in battery cooling systems, which it says offers a significantly higher power density than its existing systems.
“Battery cooling is crucial for the performance of electric vehicles. In developing our new condenser, we were able to draw on our many years of expertise in thermal management,” explained Laurent Art, director Advanced Engineering Thermal Management at Mahle. “We’re confident that this condenser will give a further boost to the development of electric vehicles.”
In addition to increasing power density, Mahle said the condenser is also optimized to provide a lighter product that is less susceptible to corrosion and requires less refrigerant. It notes that the thermal management of electrified vehicles has become much more complex in recent years, not least thanks to stronger interactions between cabin and powertrain thermal management and the need to maintain components such as the battery within tightly defined temperature limits.
Mahle noted that that striking a balance between performance, installation space requirements, comfort and systems costs is key, and stated that it meets these challenges by taking a holistic approach in the design of the entire thermal system and optimizing the interactions of each component.