Industry News

What is the difference between air cooling and water cooling for new energy vehicle motors?

2024-01-31

The cooling units of new energy vehicles mainly include power batteries, drive motors and electronic control systems. Judging from the actual application effects of traditional engine cooling technology and new energy vehicle cooling, water cooling and air cooling are the two most important ways of cooling for new energy vehicles.

As the drive of pure electric new energy vehicles, motors can achieve extremely low or zero emissions. During the driving and energy recovery process of pure electric vehicles, the stator core and stator windings of the motor will generate losses during movement. These losses are emitted outward in the form of heat, so effective cooling media and cooling methods are needed. Take away heat and ensure the safe and reliable operation of the motor in a stable and balanced ventilation system with hot and cold cycles. The design of the motor cooling system will directly affect the safe operation and service life of the motor.

Motors that use air cooling as a heat dissipation method are equipped with coaxial fans to form internal air circulation or external air circulation. The fans generate sufficient air volume to take away the heat generated by the motor. The medium is the air around the motor. The air is directly sent into the motor, absorbs heat and then discharges it to the surrounding environment. The characteristics of air cooling are that the structure is relatively simple and the motor cooling cost is low. However, the heat dissipation effect and efficiency are not very good, the working reliability is poor, and the requirements for weather and environment are relatively high.

Motors that use water cooling as a heat dissipation method will introduce coolant into the stator or rotor hollow conductor through pipes and passages. Through the continuous flow of circulating coolant, the heat generated by the motor rotor and stator will be taken away to achieve the purpose of cooling the motor. Purpose. Although the cost of water cooling is slightly higher than that of air cooling, its cooling effect is more significant than that of air cooling, with even heat dissipation, high efficiency, strong working reliability and less noise. As long as the entire device has good mechanical sealing, it can be used in various environments.



Principle of water cooling for new energy vehicles:

The power battery and drive motor systems are designed with water pipelines reserved. The drive motor generates heat when it is working, and the coolant flows through the water jacket and takes away the heat and enters the water tank radiator. The radiator is integrated with the electronic fan. The electronic fan accelerates the heat dissipation of the water tank, cools the coolant, and reaches the normal operating temperature required by the drive motor. The coolant that has dissipated heat flows through the drive motor again, repeating the cycle.



1. Water tank radiator, its main function is to cool the coolant entering the chip. In terms of material, they are divided into copper water tanks and aluminum water tanks. From the internal structure, it is divided into plate-fin type, tube-belt type and tube-piece type.


2. Electronic fan. Different engine cooling systems, new energy vehicle cooling fans all use electronic fans for heat dissipation. Different cooling systems have different electronic fans. Yili Technology ATS motor cooling system can be matched with one fan version or two fan versions according to the power of the drive motor. Under normal circumstances, the heat dissipation of two electronic fans is sufficient for all pure electric vehicles commonly available on the market. Since hybrid vehicles also have engines and turbochargers, they require more electronic fans, generally no more than 6.


3. Electronic control system. The electronic control system mainly includes fan controllers, wiring harnesses, sensors, displays, etc. Yili Technology ATS includes an electronic control system, but looking at the market as a whole, not all new energy vehicle cooling systems have electronic control systems. With the help of the electronic control system, Yili Technology ATS can intelligently control the heat dissipation of new energy vehicles, and is no longer as "rigid" as the traditional engine cooling system.


4. Electric water pump. The water pump is an indispensable component, and its main function is to provide power for coolant circulation. The circulation of coolant between the drive motor and electronic control and the water tank radiator requires an electric water pump. Yili Technology ATS comes with its own electric water pump assembly, but some customers will choose the water pump brand separately. From the perspective of overall system stability, we do not recommend doing this.




We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic and personalize content. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Privacy Policy
Reject Accept