march2023 - 34

GUE ST EDITORIA L
A lower-than-expected range would decrease
their delivery radius in colder months or force an
electric truck to stop at a charging station during
the day, which would cost valuable time and
money. And on the topic of charging,
did you know cold temperatures may
also increase battery recharge times.
In short, battery performance is essential to
reliably generating value. Thankfully, there's a
solution found in automotive thermal management.
This technology is not new, and
industry suppliers are
adapting with technology
and innovations
in high-fidelity
temperature control
for EV components.
As a result, electrified
commercial fleet vehi»
A schematic of how Modine's
EVantage BTMS works.
Modine
cles are becoming more viable across
more market segments-even in the
most severe environments.
How battery thermal
management systems
protect EVs in cold weather
Frigid temperatures can wreak havoc on lithium-ion
batteries by reducing range and extending charging
time, but BTMS can mitigate these issues.
Record-breaking cold weather affected
more than half of the United States population
this past winter, but commercial fleet
vehicles did anything but hibernate, keeping
up with consumer, commercial, and industrial
demands no matter the weather.
But experiencing arctic events and cold snaps
during some of the busiest times of the year
raise questions for fleet operators about how
the next generation of transportation, electric
vehicles, will respond to freezing temperatures.
After all, as experiences with smartphones
show, temperature extremes in either direction
negatively affect battery life and device operation.
What happens when lithium-ion battery
technology, the same as used in smartphones,
is used to power commercial EVs?
Regulating the temperature of EV batteries,
traction motors, and related electronics
is a prerequisite for reliable operation. In this
regard, EVs and petrochemical-fueled vehicles
are similar. Cold weather can reduce battery
capacity as the chemical reactions inside
batteries slow down, increasing the internal
resistance. This depletes the charge faster
and reduces vehicle range. And keeping
a respectable and consistent range
is crucial for EV fleets, because
commercial EVs, by definition,
must be productive assets.
Thermal management
in the electric age
Thermal management is one of the least visible-but
most critical-frontiers in EV transportation,
because temperature impacts vehicle
range, charging time, and the working lifetime
of the battery. In commercial vehicles, these
systems must efficiently manage temperature,
respect space constraints, and reliably survive
the harsh operating environments in which
heavy-duty vehicles are deployed.
The battery pack needs to be maintained
within a temperature window during charging
and operation, typically 25 to 35 degrees C
(77 to 95 degrees F), to deliver peak performance.
A battery thermal management system
(BTMS) will provide heating or cooling depending
on the battery pack's temperature. On a cold
winter day, a BTMS will heat the coolant that
circulates the battery pack to maintain its optimal
temperature. A key consideration in BTMS
design is optimizing temperature control while
minimizing power draw to ensure that work
By Gina Bonini
VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER OF
ADVANCED THERMAL SYSTEMS FOR MODINE
Gina Maria Bonini is the Vice President and General
Manager of Advanced Thermal Systems for Modine. She
is responsible for leading the company's commercial
electric vehicle initiative and driving global revenue in the
zero-emission mobility market. Previously, Gina served
Tektronix as the General Manager of the Component
Solutions and Technology Solutions Organizations.
» The BTMS installs near the
battery to ensure the modules
remain at an optimal temperature
for operation and charging.
Modine
34 Fleet Maintenance | March 2023
march2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of march2023
