Product Application
Operating temperature of vehicle varies greatly because of its mobility. Therefore, thermal management (cooling and heating) is one of the major functions of vehicles, and it is as important as power and safety.
Thermal management is important for electric vehicle (EV) because it does not have internal combustion engine to supply heat when comparing with diesel vehicle. Without thermal management, it would impact the normal operation of its power source (battery) in low temperature or cold environment, and which indicates the importance of stable heating system for EV.
PTC is an electronic ceramic component and a popular heating technology for EV’s heating system. Its resistance rises while temperature increases. The component is initiated by high voltage power (above 350Vdc) of EV and switches to a high resistance state rapidly. After that, the component continues to convert input power into heat transmission for a stable heat supply.
Features of PTC heating element include fast heating, self-regulating (no need for over-temperature protection and no risk of fire caused by overheating), product stability during its operating life cycle, etc. PTC heater that utilizes PTC heating elements can be incorporated into the design of a thermal management system to supply heat for air or water heater. Because of that, the component plays a vital role in electric-drive vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicle, electric vehicle, and full-cell vehicle.
Vehicle market is one of the target markets of THINKING, and THINKING has worked on design and production of automotive PTC heating elements for a long time. THINKING designs various high voltage PTC heating elements to meet demands of EV market. For high temperature ranged from 180℃ to 250℃, THINKING PTC heating elements can be applied in high voltage at 350Vdc , 450Vdc and 800Vdc with various sizes. Because of that, those products have been installed and operated in various models of electric vehicles around the world.
For product quality, THINKING automotive products comply with VDA system and are manufactured by IATF 16949 compliant production lines. After the product are produced, they will go through high standard check methods, including 100% resistance check, withstanding voltage test, visual inspection to ensure their product quality. Furthermore, THINKING offers solutions with various sizes, installation methods (clip, paste, solder), and cost objects (Ag, Al) to satisfy customer’s design needs. Its product specifications are as the table below.
Heating equipment assists traditional diesel vehicle in heating, including air conditioner assistance (air heating), diesel filter (liquid heating), and diesel exhaust gas purification (AdBlue thaw). THINKING offers low voltage PTC heating elements to meet those needs, and the products have rectangular type and circular type for different installation methods. Furthermore, surface temperature of the products reaches 70℃-240℃ to heat air and liquid through power supply from 12V/24V or 48V low voltage batteries. Product specifications of low voltage PTC heating elements are as the table below.
