Backup Heat Energy Source for the Cabin of Electric Vehicles Operating in the Northern Regions of the Planet at Extremely Low Atmospheric Temperatures (Down to -45°C)

An external heat supply is a necessary factor of human life in northern regions with severe cold climates. When traveling in modern electric vehicles (EVs), the cabin heater included in the design of the electric vehicle is used to generate the heat necessary to warm people in the EV cabin. Providing this heat to people in the cabin of an electric vehicle when traveling on intercity roads, in sparsely populated areas with low traffic, in winter, at extremely low atmospheric temperatures is a critical factor. For example, an emergency stop of the electric vehicle (e.g. in the case of a road accident, EV breakdown or battery discharge), followed by the cessation of heat generation by the cabin heater, can lead to frostbite and death of the occupants of the cabin from exposure to low atmospheric temperatures. Such an outcome is possible if help (from rescuers, car service, etc.) does not arrive in a prompt manner, which is likely due to the fact that the nearest settlement from which help can arrive can often be tens of kilometers away, and traffic on such roads can be one car per several hours, which makes it not always possible to get help from passing cars. It is not uncommon in northern regions to have heavy snowfalls with blizzards, which can also force the driver to stop the electric car and wait for help. In this paper, a backup electric heater for the cabin of an electric vehicle is proposed, which can provide autonomous heat generation for heating people in the cabin, even if the EV itself is completely inoperable. The backup heater is designed to use lithium-iron-phosphate batteries in its structure, which are safer than lithium-ion batteries. An experiment was carried out, providing data on the duration of the backup heater operation at three different atmospheric temperature ranges (-20°C to -25°C, -30°C to -35°C, and -40°C to -45°C) and the temperatures level reached in different parts of the EV cabin. Data on the dynamics of temperature decrease in the EV cabin to a critically low level (after switching off the heat generation source) were also obtained.