EV charging port heating issues may become a thing of the past. Here's why

DC fast charging technology has become one of the key features of modern electric vehicles, be it cars, two-wheelers or commercial vehicles as well. However, one of the major challenges of the DC fast charging in electric vehicles is the heating issue. Fast charging of vehicles increases the battery temperature, which in the long run leads to thermal issues and reduces the battery's lifespan. However, General Motors (GM) seems to have found a solution to this problem, reported Green Car Reports.

The US auto giant filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in October 2022, which was revealed in April this year. This patent application demonstrates a technology that cools off the electric vehicle charge ports during DC fast charging. It works with phase change material (PCM). The material is claimed to absorb and release heat when it goes through a phase change, which self-explains the name of the material.

Interestingly, PCM cooling technology has been used in the heat sinks in computers for years. Now, it is increasingly finding usage in other applications as well and GM's patent filing just adds to it.

The patent application's leaked images reveal that in this PCM charging application, the material would be placed around the charging port and would shift from a solid to a liquid state as it absorbs heat during the fast charging process due to the electricity flow through the port. The PCM offers a cooling effect during this process. The OEM further added that if temperatures still rise above a predetermined threshold, an onboard controller would automatically derate charging.

One of the key advantages of implementing this technology is that it will require fewer number of moving parts, which means it comes as a less complex system compared to the liquid cooling technology, which is used in many modern vehicles.

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