Seamless Integration of Sensing Components in Electric Pumps for Electric Vehicle Cooling Systems
Company name
Wilden S.r.l
project title
Seamless Integration of Sensing Components in Electric Pumps for Electric Vehicle Cooling System
dimension and location
Small Enterprise - Villa Carcina (BS)
PARTNER
Università di Brescia
technologies
The problem
Thermal efficiency is crucial for electric vehicles (EVs), and electric water pumps (EWP) play a key role in cooling batteries, inverters, and powertrains. Maintaining optimal temperatures enhances vehicle range, performance, and lifespan. This project introduces IoT sensors integrated directly into the plastic/rubber components of EWPs, detecting temperature, pressure, and flow without altering geometries or weight. The solution enables real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, reducing costs and downtime while improving the reliability of EV cooling systems.
The solution
THE SOLUTION
The project aims to optimize EV thermal management by integrating advanced sensing technologies into EWPs. Through Printed Electronics, temperature, flow, and pressure sensors are printed directly onto the pump structure, creating an intelligent cooling system that adapts in real-time without altering its core characteristics.
The development of operational demonstrators will enable the creation of an innovative component for adaptive cooling control, enhancing energy efficiency, reducing wear, and extending EV lifespan.
Desired Impacts
Currently, pump operation parameters are monitored using physical sensors that add bulk and weight. Printed electronics technologies offer alternatives beyond conventional market solutions. These technologies enable overprinting of functional inks—conductive, resistive, or insulating—onto existing mechanical components.
Different technologies, such as Aerosol Jet Printing and PiezoJet Printing, can be utilized in this process.
Their advantages include:
- Printing on complex geometries, adapting to different shapes and profiles.
- Embedding sensing elements directly within EWPs, especially in plastic and rubber components.
- Enabling fully printed wiring, further reducing system weight and space requirements.
- Retaining the original form, volume, and functionality of the EWP while enhancing it with smart sensing capabilities.
- Enabling rapid design, customization, and prototyping of sensors through direct deposition technologies, eliminating the need for masks and post-processing.
Benefits for the company
- Innovative Co-Design Service: The ability to integrate smart elements directly into the plastic components Wilden supplies to EWP manufacturers.
- Production of Smart Components: The company can supply intelligent components to various Tier 1 EWP manufacturers.
- Transformation of Standard Products: Converting conventional products into smart products through printed electronics and embedded sensors.
- IoT-Enabled Data Collection: The ability to collect sensor data, enabling additional services such as component wear monitoring, predictive maintenance, and enhanced customer support.
