Official Announcement: Longquan’s Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management Receives Accreditation

Official Announcement! Longquan's "Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management" Passes Accreditation

On June 3rd, the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Science and Technology announced the results of the 2024 accreditation for provincial key laboratories. Longquan's "Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management" was successfully selected.

This is the only provincial key laboratory in mountainous and island counties of Zhejiang Province built on the basis of a local entity research institute, and also the first provincial key laboratory in Lishui led by a county-level institution.

Rendering of the Fuel Cell and New Energy Thermal Management Laboratory

Provincial key laboratories are an important part of Zhejiang's scientific and technological innovation system, serving as high-level sci-tech innovation platforms that support national strategies and build a source of innovation for Zhejiang's scientific and technological progress and industrial development. The "Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management" built in Longquan is led by the Zhejiang University Longquan Industrial Innovation Research Institute, jointly constructed with Zhejiang University and Longquan Xiazhi Thermal Management System Co., Ltd. It not only provides innovative support for Longquan to develop the new track of thermal management, but also holds great significance for Longquan to build a source of cutting-edge thermal management technologies and a demonstration zone for the application of new environmentally friendly refrigerants.

"At present, the laboratory is fully committed to tackling key problems in developing new refrigerants that are both environmentally friendly and economical. The R290 thermal management system under R&D has achieved new breakthroughs, with prototype trial production and Heihe winter calibration tests completed. Follow-up high-temperature, high-altitude and high-humidity tests will be carried out, and mass production on vehicles will be promoted in collaboration with Geely." Xiong Shusheng, Dean of the Zhejiang University Longquan Industrial Innovation Research Institute and Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Vehicle Thermal Management, told reporters that the laboratory will focus on three research directions: "new theories and methods of thermal fluid science for low-carbon and environmentally friendly working fluids, intelligent design and structural innovation of core components, and performance evaluation and intelligent control technology of thermal management systems" to carry out original innovation and tackle key technical problems.

From "following the trend" in the traditional automotive air-conditioning field

To "keeping pace" in the new energy vehicle thermal management field

And then to "leading the race" in the R&D of thermal management with new environmentally friendly refrigerants

The leaping development of Longquan's thermal management industry

Benefits from a solid industrial foundation and a sound industry-university-research collaborative ecosystem

In recent years, seizing the development opportunity of new energy vehicles, Longquan City has appointed the Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee as the "chain chief" of the industrial chain, vigorously promoting the transformation of the traditional automotive air-conditioning industry to the new energy vehicle thermal management industry; built the Zhejiang Provincial Automotive Air-Conditioning Inspection and Testing Center with CMA and CNAS qualifications, whose test reports are recognized by more than 50 countries worldwide, providing a "passport" for product exports; leveraged the intellectual resources of universities and research institutes such as Zhejiang University, China Jiliang University, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou Dianzi University, as well as institutions like China Automotive Technology and Research Center and Geely Research Institute to build a solid industry-university-research collaborative ecosystem. At present, Longquan's new energy vehicle thermal management industry has gathered more than 200 related enterprises. In particular, the landing and official production of the Geely Longquan Xiazhi Thermal Management Project has brought a leading enterprise to the industry, making it the fastest-growing, largest-scale and most promising industrial pillar industry in Longquan.

"As the only key laboratory in the field of automotive thermal management in Zhejiang Province, this laboratory is of great significance to Longquan. It not only provides support for achieving independent and controllable core technologies of thermal management systems and key components, but also fills the key link of industry-innovation integration of 'universities + platforms + enterprises + industrial chains'." Zheng Shaowu, Director of the Longquan Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology, introduced that in recent years, through strengthening cooperation with top universities such as Zhejiang University, Longquan has gathered high-end talents and scientific research resources, gradually enhancing its technological voice in the field of new energy vehicle thermal management. Meanwhile, joint R&D with whole vehicle enterprises such as Geely and SAIC, as well as authoritative institutions like China Automotive Technology and Research Center, has promoted the local transformation of achievements, significantly strengthened the influence of the industrial cluster, and driven Longquan towards the goal of becoming a "China Thermal Management Manufacturing Base and an International Distribution Center for New Energy Thermal Management Products".

According to the plan, in the next three years, the laboratory will strive to build China's first thermal property testing technology and basic database for low-GWP/natural working fluids and their mixtures; establish a technical supply system for core components of new energy vehicle thermal management, complete the optimal design of all categories of core thermal management components, and develop a new generation of "high-efficiency and lightweight" thermal management system components; propose advanced configuration schemes for a new generation of high-efficiency thermal management systems for new energy vehicles. This will significantly enhance the technological advantages and industrial competitiveness of Longquan in the field of key components of new energy vehicles, and empower the high-quality development of Zhejiang's trillion-yuan new energy vehicle and component industrial cluster.