As electric vehicle batteries become more energy-dense and enable faster charging, advanced thermal management is critical to ensure safety, efficiency, and next-generation vehicle performance.

In this technology insight, leading experts examine the key questions surrounding EV battery thermal management, offering a multi-perspective analysis of the technology’s current state and how it must evolve to support higher performance and ultra-fast charging demands.

Contributing experts:

• Dr Osoko Shonda, Manager – Energy Optimisation, HORIBA MIRA | LinkedIn

Key questions explored:

• How mature are today’s EV battery thermal management systems, and how well are current approaches keeping pace with rising energy densities and charging speeds?
• Of the key thermal management challenges – heat generation, thermal runaway prevention, and efficiency losses – which are the most critical to solve as battery performance demands escalate?
• Which emerging cooling technologies, materials, and control strategies show the most promise in practice, and how close are they to production readiness?
• How are thermal management designers balancing the competing demands of safety, sustainability, cost, and performance – and where are the hardest trade-offs?
• As next-generation battery chemistries and ultra-fast charging reshape the thermal landscape, what will EV thermal management systems look like in ten years?