SSZT043 february 2023 TMS320F2800157 , TMS320F2800157-Q1
Osamah Ahmad
Co-authored by Kevin Stauder
With the continued worldwide growth of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), now more than ever, automotive developers are innovating to stay ahead of the game. While differentiating HEV/EV powertrain systems has traditionally been a key focus area, market leaders now cannot afford to neglect differentiating their HEV/EV thermal management or heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. Thermal management systems consume the second most power in HEV/EVs (only behind powertrain systems) – directly impacting drive range.
For decades, the internal combustion engine (ICE) has run vehicles and their HVAC systems. In HEV/EVs, the size or even the absence of an ICE requires the introduction of two additional components that play a role in an HVAC system:
See Figure 1.
In this article, we will overview the design challenges associated with these electronic HVAC applications, and discuss how real-time control performance, scalability and cost can help address those challenges.
High startup torque, high efficiency, low audible noise and low electromagnetic interference (EMI) are the primary features in market-leading e-compressor systems.
Let’s review the most important elements of HVAC performance, and why it’s important to consider them:
The block diagram in Figure 2 shows how the architecture and peripherals of TI’s C2000™ real-time MCUs can enable a heat-pump system through multimotor control.
Given evolving trends and varying requirements from automotive original equipment manufacturers worldwide, the ability to leverage a compatible platform to scale across different application requirements is a priority. A platform-based approach to an automotive HVAC compressor, PTC heater and heat-pump design helps significantly reduce time to development and development costs. For MCUs specifically, a wide range of options on package type, pin count, flash memory, temperature, functional safety (Automotive Safety Integrity Level B), cybersecurity, communication interfaces and cost are vital to enabling a scalable platform for automotive HVAC designers.
System bill of materials, development resources and time to market are all significant costs for automotive HVAC developers. Cost-effective components (including the MCU), the ability to leverage a scalable platform and reference designs help address these concerns.
TI’s High-Voltage EV/HEV E-Compressor Motor Control Reference Design is a high-voltage, 5-kW reference design built for EV/HEV e-compressor applications that’s controlled by the C2000 TMS320F2800157-Q1 real-time MCU. This reference design showcases solutions to some HEV/EV e-compressor design challenges in performance, scalability and cost.
See this reference design in action here: EV HVAC eCompressor motor control
HEV and EV adoption builds over the coming decades, so will the use of electronic solutions for HVAC control. The automotive HVAC subsystems in these vehicles require components that bring forth design challenges such as reliable real-time control, scalability and cost. With the help of C2000 real-time MCUs and reference solutions, you can smoothly navigate the move from ICE to HEV and EV HVAC systems.