New Ford Focus Electric Cooling System

Ford has plans to introduce five electrified cars in North America by 2012 and Europe by 2013. One of the electrics includes the new Ford Focus Electric. It will be Fords first all-electric passenger car that produces zero emissions and is gasoline free. Theengineers at Ford have also come up with a new cooling system that will get the most out of the battery.

Ford has developed a chiller that keeps the battery cool by sending a chilled coolant through the battery when it is charging or being used. Ford has decided to use an advanced active liquid-cooling and heating system to regulate the temperature of the lithium-ion battery packs because a vehicles battery performance can be reduced by extreme temperatures. Dave Fabricatore, Thermal Program Management team engineer, explains, If the battery became too hot, we would have to limit the use of energy to protect it. The liquid cooled system allows us to reduce those constraints and get the most out of the battery. Were helping owners by making sure their battery is always ready to go regardless of the weather.

Fords new cooling system integrates all the different cooling systems in the car so that they work together and very little energy is lost. All the systems work together to keep the battery cool. The air conditioning system will refrigerate the coolant that is going to the battery with the aid of a chiller. The coolant goes through the chiller and the temperature is lowered. This allows the coolant to keep the battery cooler.

The vehicle will have temperature sensors all over so that the cooling system will know when it needs to kick in. This cooling system not only works while the battery is running, but also while the battery is charging. This gives an advantage to those that live in warmer climates. The charge time will be reduced, even in warmer climates, because the battery will be kept at the ideal temperature with the help of the chilled coolant. Fabricatore explains, Batteries can heat up when theyre charging or being used, and its made worse by ambient temperatures. Controlling the temperature lets us deliver the best range and power for the customer, while improving the longevity of the battery.

The Ford Focus Electric will be launched in late 2011, and the new cooling system will be featured in it. The liquid cooled battery system allows even those that live in warmer climates to own a battery powered vehicle without fear of the weather affecting the battery. The first Ford Focus Electric vehicles will be launched in markets with warmer weather cities including: Atlanta, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orlando, Phoenix, Tucson, Raleigh-Durham, and Richmond. The new Ford Focus Electric will offer drivers the option of purchasing a zero emission, gasoline free vehicle that will always be ready to go, regardless of the weather.