A three-heat source segmented heating control strategy based on waste heat recovery technology for electric vehicles

•The simulation model of the integrated thermal management system is established.•Performance characteristics of the cabin and battery heating modes are studied.•A three-heat source segmented heating control strategy is proposed.•The proposed control strategy has a remarkable energy-saving effect. The control strategy of thermal management systems is crucial for electric vehicles to ensure thermal comfort of the cabin and thermal safety of the battery and motor. However, this will also impact the energy consumption of the vehicle. In this study, a three-heat source segmented heating control strategy was proposed to reduce the heating energy consumption of electric vehicles, with the three sources denoted motor waste heat, air, and positive temperature coefficient (PTC) heaters. Specifically, a simulation model of an integrated thermal management system for heat pump air conditioning, motor thermal management, and battery thermal management systems was first established and validated using published experimental results. Subsequently, the performance of three cabin heating modes was investigated based on the standard driving cycle. The optimal opening and closing strategies for each mode were discussed to ensure the temperature requirements of the cabin, and the optimal method for using motor waste heat and the PTC heater to heat the battery at low temperatures was explored. The segmented heating control strategy was developed by determining the heating priority for the battery and cabin, as well as the heating capacity of heating modes using air source. Compared to the traditional heating strategy of the cabin and battery, the proposed control strategy could reduce energy consumption by 18.49 % while running at an ambient temperature of − 10 °C for 2.5 h.