Thermoelectrics

• Basics
• Research
• Benefits

• Thermoelectric Basics

  Almost two hundred years ago, a Frenchman, Jean Peltier, discovered that when an electrical current passes through two dissimilar conductors, a temperature change occurs. This is known as the Peltier effect.

  This effect is applied to today’s thermoelectric device (TED). A TED is a solid-state heat pump that consists of a number of semiconductor elements positioned between two substrates. When voltage is applied to the TED, one side creates heat while the other side absorbs heat, creating a cooling effect. This is the base technology used in our actively cooled climate seats.

  When a heat differential is applied to a TED – one side of the device is hot while the other is cold – an electric current is generated. This is called the Seebeck effect and is the technology put into use in our automotive and industrial thermoelectric generator products.

  

  Thermoelectric Generator (TEG): Gentherm’s TEG is highlighted in Car and Driver as a “Top 10 Most Promising Technology” for 2012. Gentherm’s automotive TEG is a device that takes waste heat from an exhaust system and converts it to electricity.

• Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) and Automotive HVAC

  

  We have received strong support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for thermoelectric development projects related to thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and automotive HVAC systems.

  We have partnered with Ford and BMW in two successive DOE programs, and have installed TEGs in a Lincoln MKT and BMW X6 where we demonstrated the devices generating over 500 Watts of power. The current DOE program has been designed to accelerate the commercialization of thermoelectric materials and devices.

  Also through the DOE, we have partnered with Ford, Visteon, Ohio State and National Renewable Energy Lab on a Zonal Thermoelectric HVAC project with the goal of reducing the overall energy consumption of the AC compressor. With our partners, we are installing distributed thermoelectric HVAC units in the vehicle interior, where they can be used efficiently – only where the zone is occupied.

  We also conduct research in battery thermal management and electronics cooling, developing thermoelectric applications to provide heating and cooling solutions at a system level.

• Governments globally are working to reduce carbon emissions through fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions regulations. These regulations can impose financial penalties on OEMs that are passed onto consumers based on the level of compliance achieved by the auto maker.  Additionally, as the electrification of the vehicle becomes more prevalent, technologies to support this trend such as thermoelectric heating and cooling become more and more relevant.

  Thermoelectric Generator:

  • Reduces consumer vehicle operating expenses by reducing fuel consumption up to 5% with current technology (US Department of Energy estimate).
  • Promises to reduce CO2 emissions significantly.
  • Eliminates the use of two-phase compressible fluids; environmentally friendly technology.

   

  Zonal HVAC:

  • Aims to reduce energy consumption of ancillary HVAC for electrified vehicles.
  • Distributed system conditions occupants only when they are present in a zone or position, offering additional energy savings.
  • Eliminates the use of two-phase compressible fluids; environmentally friendly technology.