Electrically heats coolant. Rapidly raises temperature of battery and cabin circuits under low‑temperature conditions to improve cold‑range performance and cabin comfort.
The coolant heating element is a core thermal management component specially developed for new energy vehicles to solve low-temperature working defects. Traditional fuel vehicles rely on engine waste heat for heating, while pure electric and range-extended vehicles lack continuous waste heat sources. The electric coolant heating element realizes active heating of coolant through electric energy, which effectively optimizes vehicle low-temperature performance and becomes an indispensable key component of new energy vehicle thermal management system.
Top 10 Global Brands
Mahle, Bosch, Continental, Valeo, DENSO, Hanon Systems, BorgWarner, Nidec, Panasonic, Schaeffler. Global first-tier thermal management suppliers have mature PTC heating technology and vehicle-grade safety protection design, providing high-stability heating elements for global new energy vehicle platforms.
Top 10 Chinese Brands
Sanhua Intelligent Control, Yinlun Co., Ltd, Tuopu Group, Aotega, Feilong Co., Ltd, HASCO, Bonaier, Jiangsu Chaoli, Liyuan Technology, Xiangyou Pump Industry. Domestic manufacturers have achieved independent research and development and mass production of vehicle-grade PTC coolant heating elements, with excellent cost performance and batch stability, supporting domestic new energy vehicle mass production.
Structural Composition
Most automotive coolant heating elements adopt PTC ceramic constant-temperature heating structure. The core components include PTC heating chip, high-insulation packaging layer, high-efficiency heat-conducting aluminum shell, temperature control protection switch, over-temperature fuse safety device and wiring harness interface. Utilizing the self-constant temperature and self-current-limiting characteristics of PTC ceramics, the chip generates heat rapidly after power-on. The heat is evenly transferred to the circulating coolant through the aluminum shell. The built-in temperature control and fuse components realize real-time temperature monitoring and fault safety protection.
Application
The component electrically heats coolant. It rapidly raises the temperature of battery and cabin heating circuits under low temperature conditions. In winter low-temperature environment, it effectively improves the poor low-temperature activity of power batteries, reduces cruising range attenuation, and quickly provides warm air for the cabin, greatly improving vehicle low-temperature driving performance and riding comfort. It is widely matched with BEV and range-extended vehicle thermal management systems.
Manufacturing Challenges
The core manufacturing difficulty is the uniform heating control of PTC chips to avoid local overheating and dry burning. The insulation packaging process needs to meet vehicle high-voltage waterproof and insulation standards to eliminate electric leakage risks. The heat-conducting shell structure needs to balance heating speed and uniform heat transfer efficiency to avoid local temperature difference of coolant. The dual over-temperature protection mechanism needs precise parameter matching to ensure no failure under extreme working conditions. In addition, the product needs excellent structural durability to resist long-term vehicle vibration and cold-hot temperature impact.
Required Quality Documents
IATF16949 quality system certification, APQP project development files, DFMEA and PFMEA risk analysis reports, production control plan, full set of PPAP certification files, heating power and efficiency test report, insulation and voltage resistance test report, over-temperature protection reliability verification report, cold and hot shock durability test report, vehicle vibration test report, EMC electromagnetic compatibility report and safety explosion-proof compliance documents.
Impact on Vehicle Performance
The coolant heating element is the core guarantee for new energy vehicles to operate stably in low-temperature environments. Insufficient heating efficiency will lead to slow battery preheating, serious winter range attenuation and poor power output performance. Complete heating element failure will cause cabin heating failure and abnormal battery charge and discharge at low temperature. Stable and constant-temperature heating can keep the battery working in the optimal temperature range, effectively improving vehicle low-temperature cruising range, power response speed and overall riding comfort.