The High Voltage Distribution Unit is used as a power distributor in Battery Electric Vehicles. During operation the conductors are heated up to a certain temperature level due to today’s high current values. Larger diameters of the conductors lead to lower temperature, what leads to longer lifetime, but higher material cost.

The objective of this investigation can be summarized as follows:

• Create  a show case of temperature distribution in a high voltage distribution unit (HVDU) through simulation
• Provide a baseline for future investigations
• Learn about the behavior of the HVDU under different transient operation conditions

A pre-defined driving cycle with it’s corresponding current trace has been imposed. The following picture shows this drivning cycle:

The results showed that the temperature is far away from critical level as can be seen in the following figrue.

The following picture shows the temperature distribution in all components at the end of the cycle: