First Product Launch eXV in China in 2020
The new Hilite eXV (electronic expansion valve) will go into series production in China in December 2020 and is now available for other applications. It is used in particular in BEV (battery electric vehicles) and PHEV (plug-in hybrids). Here it precisely regulates the active cooling of complete battery systems. Depending on the operating requirements, the eXV controls the refrigerant flow via the heat exchanger (chiller) in the entire operating area. This enables an effective active battery cooling by the HVAC/Heat Pump compressor. Optimal operation of the cooling system is a key enabler for best battery performance, for either vehicle range or quick charging under all conditions.
The eXV can also be used on the evaporator of the interior air conditioning (AC) to increase its efficiency. As largest auxiliary consumer the AC provides significant CO2 saving potential. The Communication with the valve takes place via a LIN interface and the built-in controller. Customer specific software functions like diagnostic, command interface etc. can be tailored to the application.
Hilite develops and produces highly complex powertrain components and systems for the entire automotive industry worldwide. These innovative products optimize fuel and energy consumption as well as performance while reducing emissions at the same time. In order to further strategic alignment of the company and in particular to meet the challenges of the change in mobility, the company started developing innovative technologies as early as 2018. The focus here is on the area of thermal management, as the focus in this area is particularly on hydraulics and high-precision valve technology.
The first product in our “intelligent valve family” within this new focus area is the expansion valve described above; further components and systems are already in the advanced stage of development.