04:38 04-12-2025

Webasto Heated Chiller streamlines EV winter thermal systems

Webasto's Heated Chiller merges heater and chiller in 800V EVs to improve winter range, speed charging, and simplify thermal management—watch repair costs.

Winter is a trial by cold for any electric car: the battery cools down, range slips, charging slows, and wear can accelerate if thermal management is working at the edge. To cope, automakers build intricate networks of heaters, heat exchangers, and circuits—and that complexity often dents overall efficiency.

Germany’s Webasto suggests a cleaner layout: a device called Heated Chiller. It’s a flat, plate-style module for 800-volt EVs that rolls three jobs into one component. As the supplier positions it, the unit can replace a cabin air heater, a high-voltage coolant heater, and a standalone chiller in systems where those parts are spread across separate modules.

Here’s how it’s meant to work: the Heated Chiller can warm the coolant in the battery loop to improve pack output in the cold, speed up charging, and help preserve durability. When excess heat needs to be shed, the same unit can draw it out of the battery, acting as an integrated chiller. It can also heat the refrigerant used by the heat pump directly, helping the cabin reach a comfortable temperature faster in severe frost.

The core idea is a crossover component tied into both the liquid loop and the refrigerant circuit. By swapping three separate devices and their plumbing for a single assembly, it frees up space under the hood, reduces losses, and could make diagnostics more straightforward. On paper, this kind of consolidation is exactly the simplification high-voltage platforms seem to benefit from.

The open question is cost and repairability: if the three-in-one unit fails, the price of replacement becomes crucial. That caveat will decide whether the elegant concept turns into a real-world win.