Patent ID: 8117857

Claim:
A thermal management system for an electric vehicle comprising: an electrical energy storage system (ESS) coupled to an electric vehicle powertrain, said electrical ESS supplying power to an electric motor of said electric vehicle powertrain; a cooling system comprised of a coolant within a coolant loop, said coolant loop in thermal communication with said ESS, said coolant system further comprised of a coolant pump for pumping said coolant through said coolant loop; a refrigeration system independent of said cooling system; a heat exchanger in thermal communication with said refrigeration system and in thermal communication with said cooling system via said coolant loop; a temperature control system coupled to said cooling system, wherein said cooling system is under the control of said temperature control system, wherein said temperature control system further comprises: a vehicle condition monitor, wherein said vehicle condition monitor outputs a first condition signal when said electric vehicle is on and outputs a second condition signal when said electric vehicle is off; a charging system monitor, wherein said charging system monitor outputs a first status signal when said electric vehicle is coupled to a battery charging system and outputs a second status signal when said electric vehicle is not coupled to a battery charging system; at least one temperature sensor in thermal communication with said ESS, said at least one temperature sensor monitoring an ESS temperature; a comparator circuit for comparing said ESS temperature with a preset temperature, wherein said comparator circuit outputs a first signal when said ESS temperature is less than said preset temperature and outputs a second signal when said ESS temperature is greater than said preset temperature; and a cooling system controller coupled to said cooling system, said cooling system controller configured to output a control signal to said cooling system when said vehicle condition monitor outputs said second condition signal and said charging system monitor outputs said second status signal, said cooling system controller further configured to receive said first and second signals from said comparator circuit, wherein said control signal activates said coolant pump when said cooling system controller receives said second signal, and wherein said control signal deactivates said coolant pump when said cooling system controller receives said first signal, and wherein said control signal output by said cooling system controller activates said refrigeration system when said cooling system controller receives said second signal from said comparator circuit.