Vehicle-integrated heat pumps discussed at international EV conference
August 14, 2025
Cameron Dolan presents his research on heat pumps in electric vehicles in the Arctic at EVS38.
础颁贰笔鈥檚 Grid Edge program members were among more than 3,700 attendees at EVS38 in Gothenburg, Sweden in June.
EVS38, short for the , featured a wide variety of scientific lecture sessions, product demonstrations and policy discussions on all aspects of the global electric mobility ecosystem. It attracted researchers, industry representatives and government officials from 55 countries.
Cameron Dolan鈥檚 oral presentation, 鈥淎re heat pumps helpful in EVs in the Arctic?,鈥 shed light on the effects of extremely cold climates on EVs. Heat pumps are considered to be energy efficient for thermal management, or temperature control, of EVs, and EV manufacturers have started transitioning to them. But it is not so straightforward, according to Dolan.
鈥淭here are a number of factors that can affect energy consumption that we could not observe with available data, such as climate control settings and driving patterns,鈥 he said.
The audience appreciated the research, noting the importance of real-world data from drivers using their vehicles in their everyday lives, especially in extreme environments where such data is rarely available.
Other members of the team, Henry Toal, Christie Haupert and Michelle Wilber, also had a full schedule at the three-day conference. They had in-depth conversations with vehicle charging manufacturers about the capabilities of their equipment in extreme cold climates and with global experts on the expected social and economic impact of the growing number of EVs on the road. They also learned about Sweden and Norway鈥檚 continued ventures with electrified boats.
Members of the ACEP Grid Edge team pose for a photo outside the main entrance of EVS38. From left to right: Cameron Dolan, Henry Toal, Michelle Wilber and Christi Haupert.
鈥淲e are coming home with a deeper understanding of how to apply e-mobility to Alaska and that the ACEP Grid Edge team鈥檚 work is applicable everywhere,鈥 said Haupert. 鈥淓veryone is looking for answers to how best to electrify their communities.鈥
With fewer U.S. participants than expected, the ACEP presence at the conference was favorably noted.
Since the conference took place at a high latitude, many discussions were sparked on the EVs into cold climate northern communities as well as approaches and technologies for appropriate thermal management.
Wilber was intrigued to hear of electricity grid-supportive smart charging and vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, pilot programs underway. A V2G with 50 cars in a car-sharing program in Utrecht, the Netherlands, is slated to expand to 500 cars and beyond.
鈥淭hese are practical tests with the potential to revolutionize how grids, even in Alaska, are managed in the future,鈥 Wilber said.
is scheduled for June 21-24, 2026, and will take place in Long Beach, California. The Port of Long Beach recently completed one of the nation鈥檚 largest demonstration and deployment projects for zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment.
The Grid Edge team is already thinking about what to present at this conference.
The paper presented by Dolan at the conference, 鈥,鈥 was authored by Dolan, Jessica Egbejimba, Wilber and Toal, and is published in the proceedings of EVS 38.