7 Applications of Temperature Sensors in EV Cars

EV temperature sensor kit includes: In addition to electric vehicle battery pack temperature sensors, motor temperature sensors; inverter temperature sensors; charger handle, port and high-voltage connector temperature sensors; thermal management system temperature sensors; cabin temperature sensors; hood temperature sensors.

As a leading innovator of advanced sensing technology and innovative embedded measurement solutions, Amphenol Advanced Sensors is also a world leader in the field of new energy vehicle EV temperature sensors. They have always believed that new sensor technology has played a key role in keeping electric vehicles running at optimal performance and safely.

High temperature resistant PT100 EV car motor temperature sensor

EV car battery pack temperature sensor

EV car inverter temperature sensor

It is believed that as the new energy vehicle market expands, the EV automotive sensor market will also grow. The reason is simple: just like vehicles with internal combustion engines, electric vehicles require high-performance and precise sensor technology to ensure performance and safety.

As with internal combustion engine vehicles, overheating can seriously affect the function and safety of electric vehicles and their service life. It can be said that automotive temperature sensors play a wider role in EVs because many of its components are more sensitive to suboptimal temperatures or perform poorly.

1. Motor Temperature Sensor
EV motors are not unlike the engines of ICE vehicles – they have many parts that work together seamlessly. More importantly, they get hot when used.

Like ICE engines, EV motors need to be kept within a certain temperature range to operate efficiently – between 90-95°C. Exceeding that range in an EV can lead to overheating, during which the engine may run inefficiently or enter a safe mode.

Install EV temperature sensors to monitor:

Motor oil temperature

Motor winding temperature

Motor coolant temperature

Motor temperature control is not strictly about lowering the temperature. In colder climates, the motor temperature needs to rise to around 15°C to drive in order to operate efficiently.

2. Inverter Temperature Sensor
As the gateway that converts DC to AC to power the motor, the inverter controls the lifeblood of the electric vehicle. A byproduct of the current conversion is heat, which can far exceed the 150°C temperature limit if not controlled. When exposed to excessive heat for a long time, internal components begin to fail and the device will not function properly.

Common effects of inverter overheating include:
Insulation degradation
Solder cracking
Metal warping

3. Charger handle and port temperature sensors
As the power source for the EV, the handle and charging port of the EV charger can also overheat. High temperatures indicate a number of problems:
Bad connections
Faulty charger

As fast DC charging technology advances, monitoring the temperature of the EV charging handle and its port will become increasingly important. Although fast charging technology has reduced the recharging time to 80% charge to 30 minutes, today’s consumers are looking for a refueling experience that is more like filling a tank of gas.

Fast charging requires converting a large amount of electrical energy, which generates a lot of heat. As technology improves to reduce charging time, monitoring temperature can help ensure the process is safe and efficient.

4. Thermal management system temperature sensor
While the basic function of the thermal management system is to regulate the mechanical components and battery of the electric vehicle, the system itself also needs to be monitored.
The temperature of the thermal management system directly affects the EV components it is supposed to cool. When its temperature soars beyond the normal range, a domino effect can occur, leading to many of the same problems listed previously. Provides critical information to the system controller to optimize performance and minimize power consumption while maintaining proper system temperatures with temperature sensors monitoring key points in the coolant and refrigerant systems.
High temperatures within the thermal management system are a sure sign that something is wrong, whether it is a fault within the system – such as a leak – or a fault in one of the components it is cooling.

5. Cabin Temperature Sensor
A vehicle that is too hot or too cold can lead to an uncomfortable ride for a long time. Aside from the motor, an electric vehicle’s HVAC system is the most noticeable operating feature of an electric vehicle when it is running.
The cornerstone of an electric vehicle’s functionality is efficiency – or making sure it’s not using more power than is absolutely necessary. EV sensors tell the car and the computer exactly how hard the vehicle’s systems need to work.

With an in-car EV HVAC system temperature sensor, drivers and passengers can stay comfortable without draining the battery too quickly and reducing range.

6. Under the Hood Temperature Sensor
External temperature sensors aren’t meant to let drivers and passengers know what climate they’re in.

Just like the in-car HVAC temperature sensor, an external device tells the vehicle that some other system, such as the thermal management system, must work to overcome the ambient temperature. External temperature sensors are typically mounted under the hood of a car or truck.

Fast Charging and Electric Vehicle Sensors: A Necessary Pairing

Ask any driver what the most important feature of their car or truck is, and most will probably say the ability to get from point A to point B safely. After all, that’s the vehicle’s primary function.

The last thing any vehicle owner wants is to find out their vehicle isn’t ready when they’re ready. An empty tank of gas won’t get them to an important client meeting or their kid’s soccer tournament. The same goes for a depleted battery.

While electric vehicles use a different fuel source than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, that hasn’t changed owners’ expectations of their vehicles or fleets for immediate, on-demand transportation.

Despite advances in battery technology, there’s still a perception that electric vehicles run out of juice at the worst possible time—when drivers are far from a charging station. What’s more, gas-powered car owners are accustomed to refueling in just a few minutes. How can electric vehicle charging be as fast and convenient as it is now?

Combined with longer-lasting mobile power sources, fast-charging electric vehicle technology could solve these problems and help electric vehicles keep pace with cars and trucks that run on fossil fuels.

Even so, fast-charging technology and the accompanying charging station infrastructure are not enough to help potential EV consumers overcome concerns about time wasted recharging. For those who want a seamless transition to driving an EV, practical results matter. EV sensors are essential to making charging nearly as fast as refueling at a gas station.

Fast Charging and Its Potential Impacts — EV Battery Health

As the missing puzzle piece in the early days of EV development, new fast-charging technologies have facilitated the continued electrification of transportation in part. While fast-charging systems make the switch to EVs more practical, they are unusable without proper monitoring.

Why? The primary byproduct of fast charging is heat, especially when converting electrical current from AC to DC. Heat is an EV battery pack’s worst enemy.

EV car charger handle temperature sensor

EV car thermal management system temperature sensor

EV car cabin temperature sensor

EV Sensors Need to Monitor Fast Charging in 3 Places

Ensure high-speed EV charging starts and stops safely and efficiently with sensor technology. Fast charging requires fast-responding sensors—primarily vehicle temperature sensors.

Without real-time monitoring that triggers the system to maintain ideal temperatures, the risk of thermal damage to EV components increases dramatically.

There are three places where electric vehicles must have temperature sensors for fast charging:

Connection Points
Thermal Management System
Inside the Battery Pack

1. Connection Points
There are two places where temperature sensors must be present at the connection point: the charging port and the charging handle.

For fast charging, many electrons need to be transferred quickly from the EV service device to the vehicle battery. This high current generates heat. High temperatures inside the charging port may indicate a poor connection between the charging handle and the EV contacts. From an efficiency perspective, a poor connection means the vehicle is not charging as fast as it should. Além disso, high temperatures in the EV fast charger connector can also indicate that the charger is being overburdened by power demands, or is starting to malfunction.

2. Thermal Management System
Overheating within an EV’s thermal management system is an immediate sign that it is not working as intended and that its components are heating up, such as:

Heat Exchangers
Cooling Plates
Coolant
Refrigerant
Insulating Oil
Excessive temperatures can also indicate that the EV cooling system is being overwhelmed by the overheating of the components they are supposed to cool.

EV car hood temperature sensor

3. Batteries
Lithium-ion batteries charge well between 45 and 60C, but can be damaged when charged at temperatures slightly above those. When temperatures within the battery pack exceed that range, the vehicle may enter safety mode and shut down, or worse, begin a thermal runaway process.
Battery overheating is one of the last indicators that there is a problem with the vehicle’s charging or thermal management system, or that the battery itself is failing.
Immediate cooling is necessary to maintain the long-term functionality and safety of the battery.

The Future of Fast Charging for EVs
The development of fast-charging technology for thermal management of EVs is far from over.
Using existing fast-charging technology, it takes about 30 minutes to recharge an EV’s battery to 80 percent. No entanto, engineers are still working to make it as fast to fully charge an EV as it is to fill up an empty tank of an internal combustion engine vehicle—a process that typically takes less than 10 minutes.

The demand for ultra-fast EV charging is not entirely driven by a desire for convenience. Ground transportation companies and companies with fleets of large vehicles (semi-trailers and buses) have almost universally demanded ultra-fast charging that can get their vehicles moving in minutes.

Simply put, battery packs in larger vehicles are several times larger than those used in electric vehicles. They take longer to charge. But time spent charging means lost productivity and revenue.

Fast-response sensors that monitor thermals throughout an EV are essential to:
Getting vehicles back in service faster;
Preventing battery degradation or damage;

EV sensors and fast-charging systems: a necessary pairing.
While electrification is one of the biggest transformations in transportation history, vehicle owners and operators still expect a certain level of functionality. Fast-charging technology makes this transformation possible because it addresses a major problem head-on. EV sensors are the unsung heroes that make EV charging as calm as filling up a tank.

EV Thermal Management | Driving the Electrification Revolution
The actual power behind vehicles is changing the way we get from point A to point B. To do this, the sensor technology needed to keep vehicles operating efficiently and safely must be rugged, reliable, and responsive.

These attributes are most important when it comes to EV thermal management. A natural byproduct of electric vehicle use, unmitigated overheating in electric cars, trucks, or any type of vehicle has the potential to derail the electrification revolution. Consumers and consumer protection agencies have very good long memories when it comes to safety failures or mischaracterizations.

By integrating appropriate sensor technology into the EV’s design, EV thermal management is continuous. More importantly, the performance of electric vehicles is virtually indistinguishable from their slowly aging gasoline-powered predecessors.