A heat pump air conditioning system coupling with the battery cooling system is proposed for the thermal management of electric cars. Based on the ambient temperature and working conditions, the heat generated from the battery is applied to preheat the mixed air on heating mode, to reheat the cold air on cooling mode, and to exhaust to the refrigeration system; as well as to dissipate to the outside air directly. A numerical simulation has been carried out to analyse the performance of the coupling system. The results show that the compressor configuration of coupling system can be kept the same as the sole heat pump system when battery heat is less than 800 W under the given condition. The longer on-road time takes much more energy for the air conditioning, especially under the hostile ambient temperature condition.

Energy Procedia, Volume 61, 2014, Pages 891–894