Gaining Traction: Thermal Management and Reliability of Automotive Electric Traction-Drive Systems

Increasing the number of electric-drive vehicles (EDVs) on America?s roads has been identified by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the federal cross-agency electric vehicle (EV)-Everywhere Challenge, and the automotive industry as a strategy with near-term potential for dramatically decreasing the nation?s dependence on oil. Mass-market deployment will rely on meeting aggressive technical targets, including improved efficiency and reduced size, weight, and cost. Many of these advances will depend on the optimization of thermal management.