Description
PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heaters are a core component of the thermal management system for new energy electric vehicles, primarily responsible for cabin heating and battery pack thermal management.
With their irreplaceable safety and rapid heating capabilities, PTC heaters have become a critical component in new energy electric vehicles, ensuring passenger comfort, maintaining battery performance, and ensuring driving safety in cold environments. With technological advancements, they are increasingly integrated with heat pump systems to create a highly efficient and intelligent electric vehicle thermal management system.
Specification
Product Name: PTC Electric Vehicle Heater
Rated voltage: 350V
Power: 1500-2000W
Features
The advantages of PTC heaters in electric vehicles are significant, primarily reflected in the following aspects:
1. Excellent Safety (Self-Limiting Temperature)
This is the core advantage of PTC. When the temperature reaches its Curie point (usually determined by the material formulation, such as 85°C or 150°C), its resistance increases dramatically, causing the current and power to automatically decrease, and the temperature to stop rising.
This feature fundamentally prevents safety accidents such as overheating and fire caused by poor heat dissipation, air duct blockage, or control system failure, thus meeting the extremely high safety requirements for automotive components.
2. High Efficiency, Energy Saving, and Rapid Heating
Instant heating upon power-up, with rapid temperature rise. With low thermal resistance and high initial power, PTC heaters can deliver warm air very quickly after a cold start, significantly improving driving comfort in cold weather.
Although power consumption is relatively high (typically reaching 5-8kW), many brands are adopting a heat pump air conditioning + PTC assist solution for high-end models and cold regions. The PTC quickly replenishes heat in extremely low temperatures, balancing comfort and energy consumption.
3. Compact Structure and Easy Integration
It can adopt a variety of structures, such as honeycomb and fin-type, with high power per unit volume and flexible design.
It can be easily integrated into the vehicle's HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) assembly as an air heater, or it can be used as a standalone liquid heating module (immersed in coolant) for battery heating and cabin circulation heating.
4. No open flame, stable operation, and long life
As a solid-state semiconductor device, it does not suffer from the issues of glowing, oxidation, and burning associated with traditional heating wires. It is impact-resistant and corrosion-resistant, and its service life far exceeds that of traditional heating elements, essentially the same as the life of the vehicle.
Application
PTC heater applications in electric vehicles fall into two main areas:
1. Passenger Compartment Air Conditioning and Heating (Air-Heated PTC)
Working Principle: The PTC heating element is installed directly in the warm air duct of the air conditioning unit. Cold air drawn in by the blower flows through the heated PTC element, instantly heating it to warm air before being delivered to the cockpit.
Features: This is the most direct and widely used method, offering fast heating and a relatively simple system structure.
2. Battery Thermal Management System (Water-Heated PTC)
Working Principle: The PTC heating element is immersed in a sealed metal kettle. The coolant within the kettle is heated, and an electric water pump pumps the heat into the coolant lines within the battery pack, providing heat to the battery pack.
Application Scenarios:
Low-Temperature Preheating: Before charging or starting in low-temperature environments, the battery pack is heated to quickly reach its optimal operating temperature range (typically 15-35°C). This improves charging efficiency, restores discharge performance, and extends battery life.
Temperature Maintenance: Prevents batteries from freezing in cold environments while driving.
Features: Uniform heating effectively protects the battery, a core and delicate component of electric vehicles, and is a key technology for ensuring vehicle range and battery health.
3. Other Applications
Steering Wheel and Seat Heating: Some low-power PTC components are also used to provide comfort features such as heated steering wheels and heated seats, with extremely fast response times.
Glass Defrosting: Rapidly defrosts and defogs the front and rear windshields and side windows, ensuring driving safety.
