XD Thermal has completed development of an integrated dual-sided liquid-cooling architecture for a European electric bus platform
The platform’s 35.3kWh battery system enables heat management from both sides of the battery modules by combining liquid-cooled enclosures with stamped top plates. The first prototype was delivered in six weeks, and the design reached production readiness in two months.
Integrating cooling functions into the battery enclosure reduces cooling-related components by 25% and simplifies multiple assembly steps. The multi-interface configuration also enhanced heat distribution across the battery system, helping maintain better lithium battery lifespan.
Validating system-level sealing raised an engineering challenge because multiple interfaces, joints, and sealing paths had to be assessed together rather than as separate components. To verify overall sealing integrity and detect low-rate leakage before release, the team developed precision fixtures and conducted staged air-leak and helium-leak testing.
Another challenge involved developing a reliable production process for the multifunctional coating system. Different surfaces needed different insulating and thermal-barrier materials instead of a uniform coating. As a result, tailored hanging and masking methods were developed to maintain clear coating boundaries and consistent application across complex geometries.
Xu, technical director at XD Thermal, said, “Once cooling becomes part of the enclosure, the design boundary changes. The challenge is no longer to optimise a cooling plate alone, but to ensure that the complete structure delivers stable thermal performance while remaining practical to manufacture.”
Thermal, structural, process, quality, and manufacturing teams worked in parallel throughout development, enabling prototype experience to feed into design and process revisions. The scalable architecture can be adapted to different vehicle platforms, battery-pack dimensions and capacity requirements without fundamentally redesigning the cooling concept.
Since 2025, the company has expanded its commercial-vehicle thermal-management operations, adding dedicated production resources for larger-format battery-cooling components and achieving volume-production readiness by year-end. The manufacturing base supports electric bus and heavy-duty vehicle programs beyond the initial platform, bringing engineering, validation, and production resources into a common workflow for programs with different pack sizes and structural requirements.
