Abstract
The heating and cooling systems are a major challenge in the development of electric vehicles (EVs). In combustion engines, the residual heat is largely sufficient to cover the heating load of the vehicles. Nevertheless, in EVs, the use of non-efficient heating and cooling systems may reduce substantially the vehicle range. The European Project ICE started in November 2010 and aims to develop an efficient air-conditioning system for EVs. An innovative magnetocaloric reversible heat pump is used. Such systems are expected to be much more efficient than conventional chillers. In this paper, the first results of the project and the target performance are discussed.
Keywords: Electric vehicles, heating, cooling, Magnetic refrigeration, performance