A Unified Structural and Thermal Management Platform for Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Battery Systems

As heavy duty transportation quickly moves toward electrification, there is a growing need for battery systems that are both mechanically strong and thermally efficient and space optimized. It is usual to use specific battery mounting frames and cooling plates in the conventional battery integration architectures, giving rise to weight increase, high thermal resistance, high assembly complexity and low load capacity. This paper introduces a single multifunctional system design, which can combine the load-bearing support function and the active thermal management system into one single platform for heavy duty EV battery systems. The proposed platform will include a heat transfer base body structure that is thermally conductive with coolant supply lines within it that serve dual purpose as heat transfer and structural stiffening. The battery modules are installed directly on the substrate bearing surface, thus creating an efficient thermal path for quick heat removal and heat uniformity. The integrated electromechanics further limit redundant components, mechanical interfaces and improve chassis packaging while providing superior vibration resistance. Structural and thermal analysis have proven the potential to achieve significant weight savings, better cooling efficiency, higher operational reliability and safety under harsh commercial vehicle operating conditions. The design presented is viable to scale up and manufacture for the next generation of electric trucks and buses or other heavy duty battery electric platforms.