Energy Saving Potential Analysis of Waste Heat Recovery for Electric Vehicles under Low Temperature Operating Conditions

Efficiency of the thermal management system directly affects the energy consumption and driving range of a vehicle. This article proposes a new integrated thermal management heat pump system and develops its control strategy. The study analyzed its performance at low temperatures for waste heat recovery. The experiments were conducted under different powers, which verified that the strategy of controlling the waste heat recovery conditions using a six-way valve can reduce the system energy consumption. In addition, in real vehicle tests at -7 ℃ and -18 ℃, the 1-hour energy consumption of the test vehicles equipped with the waste heat recovery system was reduced by 24% and 35%, respectively. The waste heat recovery system for verifying the energy-saving potential of the application increased the driving range of the electric vehicles by 22.95% under urban conditions and 37.29% under high-speed conditions.