TotalEnergies and Valeo to cooperate on thermal management

TotalEnergies and Valeo have signed an agreement to develop a novel method for cooling electric vehicle batteries. At the heart of the collaboration is a new cooling fluid developed by TotalEnergies.

According to Valeo, this dielectric cooling fluid will be able to be in direct contact with the battery cells. Valeo will now bring its expertise in thermal systems to find and build the best solution for integrating the coolant into an electric vehicle’s battery – optimising performance by conditioning it to the right temperature, it said.

With current coolants, direct contact with the cells is not possible – cooling here is done via the side walls or special cooling plates. Valeo’s declared goal, according to the statement, is to reduce the weight of the thermal systems. This should reduce the overall weight of the vehicle and increase the range.

Shell and Kreisel Electric also presented a similar solution in November 2020. Here too, a special dielectric fluid is used to cool the cells directly in the modules. At the time, however, Kreisel and Shell did not focus on weight reduction, but on the lower energy requirement for regulating the battery temperature.

Valeo and TotalEnergies have not yet quantified the improvements of their system that precisely. The managers quoted in the press release also tend to leave it at general statements. “It is a unique and innovative solution that aims to contribute to the decarbonization of the electric mobility sector – one of the company’s strategic priorities,” says Philippe Charleux, Senior Vice President, Lubricants & Specialties at TotalEnergies.

Francisco Moreno, President of Valeo’s Thermal Systems Business Group, adds: “This research partnership with TotalEnergies is an opportunity to create an innovative solution that will further accelerate consumer take-up of electric vehicles.”

Source: Info via email, valeo.com