ZF Unveils Smart Thermal System That Boosts EV Range by Up to 10 Percent
As a highly integrated system, TherMaS is lighter and smaller than comparable variants, yet more efficient and cost-effective.
June 05, 2025. By Abha Rustagi
By optimising energy efficiency without the need for larger batteries or more expensive drivetrains, ZF is demonstrating its expertise in advanced vehicle systems in this rapidly evolving sector.
As a highly integrated system, TherMaS is lighter and smaller than comparable variants, yet more efficient and cost-effective. The use of propane as a refrigerant results in significantly better cooling performance, as well as a smaller and lighter system design. In tests, the optimised thermal management and more efficient use of waste heat from the drivetrain increased the electric range in demanding winter operation by up to 10 percent and even up to 30 percent under extreme conditions – setting new benchmarks for climate control functions.
How do you get more range out of an electric vehicle's battery charge? For many, the most obvious solution is to increase the efficiency of the electric motor or to install larger, more expensive batteries. But there are other options. A large proportion of electricity consumption is generated by the heating and cooling requirements of the vehicle interior and the electric drive – depending on the weather and operating conditions. The task of thermal management systems is to manage this.
"The battery of an electric car in particular is very sensitive when it comes to its ideal operating temperature. It feels most comfortable between 15 and 25°C," said Dr. Otmar Scharrer, Senior Vice President R&D, Electrified Powertrain Technology, ZF. The ambient temperature therefore has a major influence on the effective range of an electric vehicle. This is because on extremely cold or extremely hot days, the thermal management system is under greater strain, which leads to higher power consumption and can almost halve the available range.
"Improving thermal management is therefore of great benefit to both the manufacturer and the driver," added Scharrer. This was the motivation for ZF to develop its own thermal management system, TherMaS, to market maturity.
ZF had already installed and presented a concept study of a central thermal management system for controlling the thermal processes for the drive, battery and interior in a vehicle in 2023.
With cooling and heating capacities of at least 10 kW between -25°C and +35°C outside temperature, TherMaS has enough power to keep the battery thermally in the optimum operating range – and with less noise and vibrations than the benchmark. In addition, ZF took a more holistic approach than the alternatives currently available. The engineers integrated all thermal management functions into a complete, independent subsystem.
ZF has extensively tested TherMaS in a demonstration vehicle. There, the system provided up to ten percent more electric range in demanding winter operation and even up to 30 percent more under extreme conditions. TherMaS was also convincing in other real driving scenarios. The new thermal management system from ZF will be available in three performance classes to cover a wide range of applications and vehicle platforms.
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