Heating load reduction strategies for cabin and battery climatization in electric trucks operating in cold climates

Journal article, 2025

To improve the efficiency of energy usage in battery electric vehicles, effective thermal management strategies are crucial, particularly in cold climates, because of higher energy consumption due to increased auxiliary energy demand for cabin and battery climatization. In this paper, the influence of auxiliary heating load reduction strategies on vehicle performance was numerically investigated for an electric truck operating in parking-driving scenarios at various ambient temperatures. The load reduction strategies included cabin insulation, cabin air recirculation, and thermal encapsulation of the battery pack. The results showed that for the baseline vehicle, auxiliary energy consumption increased more than fivefold when ambient temperature was reduced from 10°C to −20°C. When all strategies were used, the heating loads for both the cabin and the battery decreased, leading to an increase in the vehicle range at low ambient temperatures up to 7% at −20°C. At high relative humidity, or with more occupants, the degree of cabin air recirculation that could be employed was reduced, resulting in lower range gains.