Battery Electric Vehicle Thermal Management System Modelling and Validation

Abstract

Improving the architecture and control strategies of thermal management systems (TMSs) is crucial for minimizing energy consumption in heating and cooling components, thereby enhancing the driving range of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). This study presents a holistic approach for developing an Integrated Thermal Management System (ITMS) based on an Octo-valve-type architecture, designed to efficiently manage the thermal demands of both the cabin and powertrain components. Empirical data were collected under various heating and cooling scenarios across a wide operating temperature range (−20 °C to 40 °C), and these data were used to parametrize and validate key ITMS components. Experimental results demonstrated that the parametrized simulation model closely replicated the cabin and battery thermal behavior observed in vehicle tests, particularly under cooling conditions. Minor deviations, such as cabin temperature overshoot during heating scenarios, were attributed to duct thermal effects and control tuning limitations. Overall, the optimized Octo-valve-based ITMS architecture exhibited thermal trends consistent with literature references and effectively validated the proposed control strategy, demonstrating improved thermal efficiency and potential range enhancement for BEVs across diverse environmental conditions. Furthermore, ITMS energy consumption over the indicated temperature range is quantified in this research paper.