Marelli has launched its new integrated thermal management module (iTMM) for electric vehicles, which allows the the vehicle’s different thermal circuits to combine into one single component to shape a more efficient thermal management system. The company said this increases driving range, safety and flexibility.

According to the company, optimized thermal energy management is a key factor in electric vehicles, as the cooling and heating needs of components and passengers within the car require high energy consumption. Greater efficiency can be achieved by managing and controlling properly the three systems that most affect energy usage: the e-powertrain thermal system, the battery thermal system and the cabin thermal system.

While electric vehicles generally have a number of heat exchangers with a sole function, Marelli’s iTMM modularizes water-cooled heat exchangers, such as the chiller or water-cooled condenser, with a smart valve arrangement, the company said. By using this combined valve, which manages up to six channel combinations, the iTMM efficiently connects the three systems, exploiting their synergies and sharing components, to obtain optimized energy management. According to the company, this reduces the total system complexity, while ensuring ideal cooling of the electric powertrain, high safety and ultra-fast charging of the battery and an optimal thermal comfort within the cabin.

Marelli said the iTMM is also efficient in severe weather conditions and at low temperatures, which the vehicles to increase its driving range up to 20% when coupled with a heat pump system in winter conditions.

The company said its integrated system reduces the number of parts and has a smaller size and weight, ensuring simplicity of the assembly, architecture flexibility within the vehicle and competitive system cost.