CHARGING METHOD FOR AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

Abstract

A method for charging an electric vehicle. A traction battery of an electric vehicle connected to a stationary charging device is charged by the stationary charging device and a heating device of the electric vehicle is operated with electrical energy provided by the charging station, in particular predictively, as well as an electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for charging an electric vehicle, wherein a traction battery of an electric vehicle connected to a stationary charging device is charged by the stationary charging device and wherein, before the electric vehicle is disconnected from the stationary charging station, a heating device of the electric vehicle is operated with electrical energy provided by the charging station.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the traction battery and/or a component of a drive train of the electric vehicle is heated by the heating device.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein an electric motor, power electronics, a gearbox, and/or gearbox oil of the electric vehicle is heated as the component of the drive train.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the traction battery and/or the component of the drive train is heated to a predetermined temperature which is respectively optimal in terms of an efficiency factor of the electric vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein a control module of the electric vehicle calculates a preheating time ending at the departure time, starting from a predetermined departure time of the electric vehicle, and the heating device is operated during the calculated preheating time.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined departure time is set by a user of the vehicle by a human-machine interface.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating device is operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle selects a predetermined charging mode, and wherein the heating device is not operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle does not select the predetermined charging mode.

8. An electric vehicle with a traction battery and a heating device which is configured to charge the traction battery from a stationary charging device when the electric vehicle is connected to the stationary charging device and configured to operate the heating device with electrical energy provided by the charging station before the electric vehicle is disconnected from the stationary charging station.

9. The electric vehicle according to claim 8, having a control module which provides a predetermined charging mode and is configured to calculate a preheating time ending at the departure time in the predetermined charging mode, starting from a predetermined departure time of the electric vehicle, and configured to control operation of the heating device during the calculated preheating time.

10. The electric vehicle according to claim 8, which is configured to heat the traction battery and/or a component of a drive train of the electric vehicle to a temperature which is respectively optimal in terms of an efficiency factor of the electric vehicle and which is recorded by a temperature sensor.

11. The method according to claim 2, wherein a control module of the electric vehicle calculates a preheating time ending at the departure time, starting from a predetermined departure time of the electric vehicle, and the heating device is operated during the calculated preheating time.

12. The method according to claim 3, wherein a control module of the electric vehicle calculates a preheating time ending at the departure time, starting from a predetermined departure time of the electric vehicle, and the heating device is operated during the calculated preheating time.

13. The method according to claim 4, wherein a control module of the electric vehicle calculates a preheating time ending at the departure time, starting from a predetermined departure time of the electric vehicle, and the heating device is operated during the calculated preheating time.

14. The method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined departure time is set by a user of the vehicle by a human-machine interface.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined departure time is set by a user of the vehicle by a human-machine interface.

16. The method according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined departure time is set by a user of the vehicle by a human-machine interface.

17. The method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined departure time is set by a user of the vehicle by a human-machine interface.

18. The method according to claim 2, wherein the heating device is operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle selects a predetermined charging mode, and wherein the heating device is not operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle does not select the predetermined charging mode.

19. The method according to claim 3, wherein the heating device is operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle selects a predetermined charging mode, and wherein the heating device is not operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle does not select the predetermined charging mode.

20. The method according to claim 4, wherein the heating device is operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle selects a predetermined charging mode, and wherein the heating device is not operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected if the user of the vehicle does not select the predetermined charging mode.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The invention is schematically illustrated in the drawings with the aid of embodiments and is described further with reference to the drawings. The FIGURES show the following:

[0028] FIG. 1 a circuit diagram of a thermal management system 10 of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram of a thermal management system 10 of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In addition to the thermal management system 10, the electric vehicle includes a traction battery 20 and a charger (not shown) and is configured to charge the traction battery 20 by means of the charger from a stationary charging device when the electric vehicle is connected to the stationary charging device.

[0031] Furthermore, the electric vehicle comprises a drive train 50 of the front axle with first power electronics 51, a first electric motor 52, and a first gearbox 53, and a drive train 60 of the rear axle with a second power electronics 61, a second electric motor 62, and a second gearbox 63.

[0032] The thermal management system 10 further comprises a heating device 30 and a system of fluid lines 70, a pump 71, and a four-way valve 72. The thermal management system 10 also includes a cooling device 40, which is designed as a low-temperature cooler 51. During operation of the thermal management system 10, a fluid, for example water, circulates in the system of fluid lines 70. The specific configuration of the thermal management system 10 shown here is merely exemplary and does not limit the invention in any way.

[0033] The traction battery 20, the components 51, 52, 53 of the drive train 50 of the front axle, and the components 61, 62, 63 of the drive train 60 of the rear axle are thermally connected to the thermal management system 10, i.e. operating temperatures of the traction battery 20 and of the components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the two drive trains, 50 and 60, can be set by the thermal management system 10.

[0034] The thermal management system 10 also includes a control module 80, which provides a predetermined charging mode for the electric vehicle. The control module 110 may comprise a high-performance computing platform (HCP) or the charger of the electric vehicle, or it can be embodied as a separate electronic control unit (ECU) of the electric vehicle. Of course, the control module 80 is operatively connected to the active components 21, 30, 40, 54, 64, 71, 72 of the thermal management system 10. For the sake of clarity, the operative connection with the active components 21, 30, 40, 54, 64, 71, 72 is only indicated in summary form.

[0035] The control module 80 is configured to calculate a preheating time ending at the departure time, starting from a predetermined departure time of the electric vehicle, and to control operation of the heating device 30 during the calculated preheating time. To this end, the control module 80 defines respectively optimal temperatures for the traction battery 20 and/or the components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60. The preheating time is calculated based on the temperatures recorded by the temperature sensors 21, 54, 64, starting from the defined optimal temperatures, and thermal models of the traction battery 20 and/or of the components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60.

[0036] The electric vehicle is thus configured to operate the heating device 30 with electrical energy provided by the charging station and to preheat the traction battery 20 and/or a component 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60 of the electric vehicle to the predetermined temperatures respectively optimal in terms of efficiency of the electric vehicle and recorded by the temperature sensors 21, 54, 64, before the electric vehicle is disconnected from the stationary charging station.

[0037] The thermal management system 10 further comprises a human-machine interface (HMI) 90, which can be designed as a component of the electric vehicle or separately from the electric vehicle, for example as a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, and which is configured to enable a user to set the predetermined departure time and/or to select the predetermined charging mode.

[0038] For charging, the electric vehicle is connected to a stationary charging device. The user sets the predetermined departure time by means of the human-machine interface 90 and selects the predetermined charging mode. On the basis of the set, predetermined departure time, the control module 80 calculates a preheating time ending at the departure time. The traction battery 20 of the electric vehicle is then charged by the stationary charging device.

[0039] If the user has selected the predetermined charging mode, the heating device 30 is operated during the calculated preheating time and before the electric vehicle is disconnected. On the other hand, if the user does not select the predetermined charging mode, the heating device 30 is not operated before the electric vehicle is disconnected.

[0040] The heating device 30 is operated with electrical energy provided by the charging station. The traction battery 20 and/or one or more components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60 are heated by the heating device 30. In particular, the electric motors 52, 62 and/or the gearboxes 53, 63 are heated as components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60. In this case, the traction battery 20 and/or the components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60 are heated to predetermined temperatures which are respectively optimal in terms of the efficiency of the electric vehicle.

[0041] Thus, the operating temperatures of the traction battery 20 and of the components 51, 52, 53, 61, 62, 63 of the drive trains 50, 60 are favorable at the predetermined departure time. The time spent driving at unfavorable operating temperatures immediately after the start of travel is therefore avoided or at least shortened without loading the traction battery 20, as a result of which the range of the electric vehicle is increased.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0042] 10 Thermal management system [0043] 20 Traction battery [0044] 21 Temperature sensor [0045] 30 Heating device [0046] 40 Cooling device [0047] 50 Front axle drive train [0048] 51 Power electronics, component [0049] 52 Electric motor, component [0050] 53 gearbox, component [0051] 54 Temperature sensor [0052] 60 Rear axle drive train [0053] 61 Power electronics, component [0054] 62 Electric motor, component [0055] 63 Gearbox, component [0056] 64 Temperature sensor [0057] 70 System of fluid lines [0058] 71 Pump [0059] 72 Four-way valve [0060] 80 Control module [0061] 90 Human-machine interface