The development of integrated thermal management systems, which started with the Tesla Octovalve, has been booming over the past few years.

In the development of BEVs, it is now essential to introduce integrated thermal management systems that make efficient use of the heat of the entire vehicle, including the air conditioning, battery and motor area, and contribute to extending the vehicle’s range. In this context, the major Tier 1 suppliers are actively promoting systems for future mass production in 2024, and each company’s unique approach can be seen in the compactness of the system and the number of control modes.

However, the practical application of integrated thermal management systems differs from proposals for stand-alone components to date in that, depending on the OEM’s thermal control needs, it is necessary to make detailed adjustments to the design of multiple factors, such as the number of pumps, valves, etc. installed, the number of control modes, and the shape of peripheral components such as refrigerant and cooling water flow paths.

For this reason, suppliers share the common understanding that it is more important to work with OEMs from the upstream stage of vehicle development.