Vapor compression cycle-based integrated thermal management systems for electric vehicles: A critical review

A more energy-saving and efficient integrated thermal management system is an urgent requirement in the electric vehicle industry. Most existing reviews lack a thorough classification and comparison of different electric vehicle integrated thermal management systems at configuration level. Analyzing the systems from both technical principles and practical applications can effectively guide the development of a more advanced system. From the perspective of refrigeration/heat pump system configuration, this review presents a comprehensive classification for the existing vapor compression cycle-based integrated thermal management systems based on the traditional classification method. The systems in the existing academic literature are summarized and analyzed in detail in the aspects of structural characteristic, operating mode, refrigerant type, operation/control strategy and system performance. The systems utilized in typical electric vehicle models of various automobile companies over the past two decades are also reviewed and commented. The conventional dual-evaporator systems and modified dual-evaporator systems have been discussed in depth. In addition, the challenges in this research area are critically pointed out and suggestions for future work are proposed. A useful reference for designing and optimizing the next-generation integrated thermal management system for electric vehicles is provided.