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The impact on electric vehicle range caused by the thermal load of the passenger compartment is examined in the context of Canadian winters. The thermal capacity of warm batteries after charging represents a low grade heat source that could substitute for the direct consumption of electric power for heating. In addition, an effective thermal management system can increase battery life by regulating differences in battery temperature during charge and discharge cycles. An active heat exchanger system using a low cost aluminum Roll-Bond® panel heat exchanger is examined to determine the feasibility of using the batteries' heat as a thermal source for a heat pump or direct source of heat for the passenger compartment.