Heat flow management device for motor vehicles has a refrigerant circulation, a power train coolant circulation and a heating line heat carrier circulation. The refrigerant circulation includes a compressor, an indirect condenser, an expansion element, an ambient heat exchanger, an evaporator and a chiller. The power train coolant circulation includes a coolant pump, the chiller, an electric motor heat exchanger and a power train coolant radiator, wherein the heating line heat carrier circulation comprises a coolant pump, the indirect condenser and a heating heat exchanger, wherein the refrigerant circulation and the power train coolant circulation are directly thermally coupled with one another across the chiller. Refrigerant circulation and heating line heat carrier circulation are directly thermally coupled with one another across the indirect condenser. Power train coolant circulation and the heating line heat carrier circulation are only indirectly thermally coupled with one another across the refrigerant circulation.

A heat management system which includes: a refrigerant circulation line which includes a compressor, a water cooling-type condenser, a first expansion valve, an air cooling-type condenser, a second expansion valve, and an evaporator, and cools the indoor space by circulating a refrigerant; a heating line which heats the indoor space by circulating cooling water which exchanges heat with the refrigerant through the water cooling-type condenser; a first cooling line which cools a battery by circulating cooling water which exchanges heat with air or the refrigerant; and a second cooling line which cools electric components including a driving motor, by circulating cooling water which exchanges heat with air or the refrigerant. The heat management system enables efficient heat management of electric components and a battery in a vehicle as well as cooling and heating of the vehicle.

A thermoelectric system and method provides distributed localized heating, cooling, or both heating and cooling. The thermoelectric system includes a plurality of thermoelectric assemblies. Each thermoelectric assembly comprises a plurality of thermoelectric elements, and each thermoelectric assembly is in thermal communication with a first working fluid and in thermal communication with a region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly. Each thermoelectric assembly is selectively operable either to heat the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly by transferring heat from the first working fluid to the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly or to cool the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly by transferring heat from the region corresponding to the thermoelectric assembly to the first working fluid. Each thermoelectric assembly is operable independently from operation of other thermoelectric assemblies of the plurality of thermoelectric assemblies.

A vehicle includes an oil-cooling system arranged to circulate oil through an electric machine and an oil-to-coolant heat exchanger. A coolant system has conduit arranged to circulate coolant through an inverter, a heater core, and the heat exchanger. A climate control system is arranged to circulate an airstream through the heater core to heat a passenger cabin with waste heat from the electric machine and the inverter.

The control apparatus includes a heater configured to generate heat to heat the internal combustion engine, a controller configured to control a heat exchange system in such a way as to transfer EV exhaust heat to the internal combustion engine, and an controller configured to let electrical power be supplied from a battery to the heater before the internal combustion engine is started if it is predicted that a specific warmed-up condition of the internal combustion engine will not be established before the start of the internal combustion engine and not to let electrical power be supplied from a battery to the heating if it is predicted that a specific warmed-up condition of the internal combustion engine will be established before the start of the internal combustion engine.

An electric vehicle thermal management system and an electric vehicle using the thermal management system, wherein a passenger cabin is heated by the heat dissipated from a battery and/or a motor, and the battery and the electric motor are connected in different cooling paths. Heat is supplied to the passenger cabin by using the heat absorbed by cooling liquid from the battery and/or the motor, so that the electric power of the electric vehicle can be effectively utilized to increase the endurance mileage of the electric vehicle.

Methods and system for providing de-icing a heat pump heat exchanger and heating a vehicle passenger cabin are presented. In one example, a heat pump that experiences icing of exterior heat exchanger fins may be operated in a cooling mode where a passenger cabin heat exchanger operates as an evaporator to improve de-icing of the exterior heat exchanger fins.

A vehicle air conditioner includes: a compressor that compresses a refrigerant; a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and a heat transporting coolant; a condenser that condenses the refrigerant having a high-temperature and a high-pressure by dissipating heat thereof; an evaporator that performs heat exchange between air sent to a vehicle interior and the refrigerant having a low-temperature and a low-pressure; a refrigerant passage that flows the refrigerant therein; and an on-off valve capable of shutting off the refrigerant passage. A part of the refrigerant passage from the condenser to the compressor in the air-cooling refrigerant circuit is branched into a first passage passing through the evaporator and a second passage passing through the heat exchanger being in parallel to the evaporator. The on-off valve is disposed upstream of the heat exchanger in the second passage.

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a vehicle cabin heating system, based on particulate filter (PF) regeneration prediction. In one example, a method includes predicting an amount of exhaust heat that may be recovered via an exhaust heat exchanger during an upcoming PF regeneration event, and prior to the PF regeneration event, adjusting an amount of electric power supplied to an electric heater of the cabin heating system. The amount of adjustment may be based on the predicted amount of exhaust heat that may be recovered.

Methods and system for providing heat to a vehicle are presented. In one example, a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heater provides heat to a passenger cabin and an engine via heating engine coolant. Additionally, a heat pump may supply heat to the passenger cabin via heating the engine coolant.