Faster DC charging has claimed one New generation of cooling cablesbut General Motors is also considering cooling the charging port, a patent filing says.
Published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on April 25, 2024 and first filed by GM on October 18, 2022, the patent application in question relates to cooling of electric vehicle charging ports using phase change material (PCM).
PCM is a type of PCM that absorbs and releases heat as it undergoes a phase change—hence the name. PCM cooling has been used in heatsinks in the computing world for many years and is becoming increasingly popular in outdoor equipment.
Image of General Motors’ PCM charging port cooling patent
In this charging application, the PCM will be placed around the charging port and will transition from a solid state to a liquid state as it absorbs the heat caused by the current through the port, thus providing a cooling effect, GM said. app. If the temperature still rises above a predetermined threshold, the onboard controller will automatically reduce the charging speed, the automaker added.
One approach discussed in the application mentions a heatsink and metal foam as a possible configuration, but regardless, cooling the PCM charging port is unlikely to require moving parts. It can also be much less complicated than liquid cooling.
Image of General Motors’ PCM charging port cooling patent
So far, hardware cooling efforts to increase charging speeds have focused on other areas. In 2021, researchers at Ford and Purdue Universities demonstrated a phase change method for Helps cool electric vehicles for faster charging. But this is related to the phase change of the coolant (from liquid to vapor) in the cable, not the charging port. In some electric vehicles, cabin cooling system also helps the battery stay cool during charging, but that also hasn’t been applied to the charging port itself.
Heat buildup is one of the main reasons why electric vehicle manufacturers are also switching to higher voltages. This is why Porsche pushed to charge 800 volts instead of 400 volts for the Taycan.
