Webasto has launched a compact and scalable thermal management solution called the eBTM, which it says increases the performance and service life of traction batteries in electric vehicles and machines.

It allows continuous monitoring of the operating temperature to ensure that the heating and cooling circuits are balanced in order to maintain the battery temperature at about 22 ºC at all times.

Depending on the vehicle type, the application and number of batteries installed, several units can be combined.

The eBTM dynamically adjusts the temperatures through the different load phases. It is also capable of conditioning the batteries during charging, which Webasto says halves the charging time.

The system is designed for 400 V as well as 800 V applications, and delivers up to 8 kW of cooling and up to 10 kW of heating power for battery systems with a total capacity of up to 210 kWh.

The plug-and-play unit measures 100 x 70 x 30 cm (L x W x H), weighs 90 kg and has only a few connection interfaces. The components for the coolant and heating circuits, electric water pumps and control units are already fitted inside the eBTM’s housing.

The eBTM allows batteries to be charged using up to 41% more power compared to batteries without thermal management, shortening charging times. For a driving profile with a lot of starts and stops, Webasto says, thermal management provides 8.9% more range, resulting partly from 24% greater energy recuperation at low temperatures. In hot climates, the eBTM also improves the state of health by 21%.