Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - MAXITHERM (Innovatiing textile-based heating system for technical applicatiions with a special focus on Electric Vehicles)

Teaser

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles warm up the passenger cabin thanks to the residual heat coming from the engine. However, in Electric Vehicles (EV) the situation is different because there is no combustion heat and engine residual heat is insufficient to warm up the...

Summary

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles warm up the passenger cabin thanks to the residual heat coming from the engine. However, in Electric Vehicles (EV) the situation is different because there is no combustion heat and engine residual heat is insufficient to warm up the cabin of the vehicle. As consequence in EVs energy to warm up the cabin must be extracted from the batteries. In Electric Vehicles up to 50% of a vehicle’s energy is invested in HVAC systems, therefore the mobility range of an electric vehicle (130km on average) is 50% dependent on the consumption of energy for HVAC purposes.
The Electric Vehicle´s market is in fast development. EVs sales doubled in 2013 for the fourth consecutive year. A third of the world’s Electric Vehicles are sold in Europe. The market size is expected to reach €200B by 2020. The main factor impeding the massive dissemination of electric vehicles in Europe is the still limited range autonomy of electric vehicles especially in cold weather. Consequently, the development of alternative heating systems for EVs represents a highly interesting market opportunity. The integration of a costs effective system capable of extending autonomy while ensuring passagers comfort will boost the adoption of electromobility in Europe and Worldwide
The objective of MAXITHERM is to contribute to the expansion of Electric mobility in Europe by extending Electric Vehicles (EV) autonomy. We propose a heating system for EV that reduces electricity demand of heating systems in by 30% while maintaining passenger comfort. MAXITHERM is a heating system based on a technical fabric composed by a blend of electrically conductive and non-electrically conductive fibres that is integrated within the structure of the vehicles. It provides direct and fast heat to passangers and is more cost efficient than current solutions.
The final development stages of Maxitherm will be carried out by three European SMEs, MaxiTex (DE) (coordinator and IPR owner) and CHMüller (DE) as beneficiaries of the proposal and Metron (SI) as subcontractor for both companies. The sales of Maxitherm will boost the growth of the companies involved and will provide them with a strategic position in the Electric Vehicle industry, a highly interesting growing market

Work performed

In the beginning of the project a BMWi3 was bought and its interior parts were analyzed. The theoretical information was needed to determine the possibility to reach the main achievements like thermal comfort for the passengers and efficient heating. A new control unit was necessary to guarantee proper heating of the innovative heating system. The setup of the control unit is almost finished so far.
The heatable nonwoven for the different interior parts of the cabin including its lamination and connection to the system have been studied and finished. We actually study how to integrate the nonwoven into the single parts and test the function. A physical test has been executed on the roof part and has already shown a very good result.
At the moment we are working on the final version of all parts to have a converted prototype ready for demonstration purposes.

Final results

The automotive industry is of major importance for Europe´s economy. 12.9 million Europeans - or 5.3% of the EU workforce - are employed in the sector6 and it generates 6.9% of EU Gross Domestic Product. Europe is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of high quality, clean, silent and safe ICE vehicles. However, most of the technology developments concerning EV are occurring outside the EU, mainly in Japan (with 75% of the total patents relate to EV technology) and USA. European EV industry is highly dependent on external technology. Most of the high-tech components such as batteries and electronic controllers present in European EVs are not designed nor manufactured in EU. With MAXITHERM we will contribute to the future of the EU automotive industry, promoting that next generations of Electric Vehicles incorporate components that are designed and manufactured entirely in Europe. To ensure a leading position of Europe in the future, it is essential to invest now in research in EV technologies. The EU has stablished a set of initiatives within the “Action Plan CARS 2020” such as the European Green Vehicles Initiatives (EGVI), in order to promote research and innovation in EV technologies.
On the other hand, the European non-woven industry is suffering extensively from competition, particularly from Asia (China). Under this scenario we are aware that the EU non-woven industry, in order to maintain its place in a global market, needs to adapt its production and business model from large-volume-low-cost production to highly specialized and customized production of high added value products. Consequently, it is essential for us to invest and commit to innovation with the objective of maintaining profitability in the medium and long term

Website & more info

More info: http://www.maxitherm.eu/.