Research on the thermal management system of battery for electric vehicles

Abstract

Battery life is one of the most significant indicators of the performance of electric vehicles. The battery life of electric vehicles plays a significant role in the overall performance of the vehicle. Temperature difference and maximum battery temperature are the two major factors affecting battery life, so a system that monitors and regulates battery temperature should be advanced and reasonable. In this paper, we discuss the most commonly used thermal management systems, including air cooling systems, liquid cooling systems, PCM-based cooling systems, and hybrid systems, as well as the newest thermal management systems that have been developed in recent years. It firstly introduces the physical principles applied to the above cooling systems, then analyzes and compares the thermal values of the experimental objects with the help of mathematical models and images, and finally draws conclusions based on the comparison results and briefly. In summary, various thermal management systems have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, air cooling is cost-effective and simple to operate, but it cannot be used for high-power applications due to its inability to dissipate heat. The liquid cooling system is more efficient at dissipating heat than the air cooling system, but its disadvantage is its increased weight and volume. Currently, PCM-based thermal management systems offer the most potential, but they have not been widely used due to their high cost and complexity; the hybrid system can integrate the advantages of various systems, but the difficulty of structural design will be much greater.