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MILWAUKEE – Johnson Controls
and Munich-based Fraunhofer Gesellschaft have signed a
collaboration agreement to develop the next generation of more
energy efficient, cost-effective cooling systems for vehicle
batteries.
The collaboration pairs the world's leading automotive battery
supplier with Europe's largest organization for applied
research, according to a company statement. Scientists and
engineers at Johnson Controls, the Glendale-based company with
core businesses in the automotive, building and energy storage
industries, will work with both Fraunhofer's Institute for
Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology and its Institute
for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials.
The collaboration will focus on technologies and thermal
management strategies for lithium-ion battery packs. Currently,
systems with fans, compressors or pumps use energy to pull heat
out of a battery, the statement said.
"Optimizing the energy storage solution within the broader
vehicle environment will enable Johnson Controls to design,
develop and commercialize systems which not only meet our
customers' requirements, but also lead to improvements in
function, package and cost," said MaryAnn Wright, vice president
of engineering and product development for Johnson Controls
Power Solutions.
The scope of the work will initially focus on 48-volt micro
hybrid battery technology, which is designed to deliver strong
fuel and emissions efficiency, and load management at a lower
price than hybrid and electric vehicle technology.
The technology is expected to be adopted in Europe first and
then move to the U.S., with global adoption starting in 2020,
according to the statement.
www.johnsoncontrols.com |
