THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PACK IN THE EVENT OF FAILURE OF BATTERY PACK HEATER

摘要

A thermal management system is provided for a vehicle having an electric traction motor and a battery pack. The thermal management system includes a battery pack heater configured to transfer heat to the battery pack, a second thermal load heater configured to transfer heat to a second thermal load, and a control system. The second thermal load heater is selectively thermally connectable to the battery pack to transfer heat from the second thermal load heater to the battery pack. When the vehicle is connected to an external energy source and the battery pack is at sufficiently low temperature, the control system is configured to control the temperature of the battery pack by activating the second thermal load heater and thermally connecting the second thermal load heater to the battery pack in response to a failure of the battery pack heater.