Modeling of a Magnetocaloric System for Electric Vehicles

A. Noume[1], C. Vasile[1], M. Risser[1]
[1]National Institute of Applied Science (INSA), Strasbourg, France
Published in 2013

In automotive industry, regardless the type of engine we use, heating and air-conditioning is responsible for the highest energy consumption among all the auxiliary systems all over the year. For conventional vehicles with thermal engines, the heating of the internal space is easy obtainable because of the heat waste from the engine. For the electric vehicles, as the energy is delivered by the batteries, the power consumption for heating as well as for air-conditioning can imply a significant reduction of the vehicle's autonomy. This paper presents some aspects of the design of an innovative magnetocaloric system used for the construction of an efficient HVAC unit for electric vehicles, which is an alternative to traditional HVAC systems based on gas compression.