Towards integrated thermal management systems in battery electric vehicles: A review

Abstract

The market expansion of battery electric vehicles has stimulated the development of advanced vehicle thermal management systems to address the complicated thermal challenges of the batteries, cabin, motors, and power electronics across various driving conditions and ambient temperatures. This review comprehensively summarizes the key technologies underlying the distributed thermal management systems, addressing the specific heating and cooling requirements of each subsystem. The strengths and limitations of the individual thermal management approaches have been compared. Furthermore, the review highlights the progress in integrated thermal management systems (ITMS) for BEVs, examining configuration integration–classified into airflow, indirect secondary-loop, and direct refrigerant-side integration–and information integration within the context of connected and automated vehicles. The challenges and opportunities associated with the ITMS have also been critically discussed, in terms of the system configuration, refrigerant selection, intelligent integration, advanced battery technologies, and performance evaluation. This review aims to stimulate interest and debate in both academia and industries, contributing to the evolution of compact, efficient, and intelligent ITMS for battery electric vehicles.