TROY, Mich. -- In support of the company’s accelerated development activities within the fast-growing hybrid and electric vehicle market, Behr America has formed a Battery Cooling Group at its headquarters in Troy, Mich., in order to meet the increasing demand for thermal-management technology.

The new group, managed by Fred Pumper, manager, Thermal Solutions and Validation Test, Behr America, will focus on growing the company’s battery cooling activities as well as supporting Behr’s Group in Stuttgart, Germany.

“We have established a Battery Group at our Behr America headquarters to support our customers, both our OEM customers with their vehicle integration and direct battery pack integration of thermal systems as well, for battery suppliers,” said John Tepas, director/chief engineer, Behr America. “This group will build on four years of active development already completed by our Battery Cooling Division lead by Dr. Thomas Heckenberger, director of advanced development in Behr's Stuttgart, Germany technical center.”

Tepas noted that one of the main technological challenges of battery-powered vehicles is maintaining optimum battery temperature -- crucial for top battery performance and longevity. Behr says it has developed significant expertise in this area, both in Europe and in the U.S., and has considerable experience in three different technical solutions for battery cooling: cooled air, refrigerant and secondary loop solutions.

All three approaches require the integration of battery cooling into the air-conditioning circuit. Vehicle architecture and other technical requirements determine which solution best fits a specific vehicle platform. Behr’s extensive system integration expertise gives the company a unique technological advantage in providing solutions for battery thermal management.

“In the U.S. market, Behr supplies a full thermal management system for GM’s Lambda platform vehicles as well as programs still in development,” Tepas said. “Based on this experience, we are well-equipped to meet the challenges of battery thermal management in the automotive industry.”