Thermal Management of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicle (EV) technology has become a cornerstone in the global pursuit of clean and sustainable transportation. As EV adoption grows, managing the heat generated by high-capacity batteries, power electronics, and e-motors remains an unresolved challenge with critical implications for performance, safety, and component longevity. Existing literature has underscored the risks associated with inadequate thermal management, including battery degradation, reduced efficiency, and, in extreme cases, safety hazards such as thermal runaway. Despite progress in developing active and passive cooling solutions, the field continues to grapple with finding the optimal balance between system complexity, reliability, cost, and integration. Recent advances in new materials, smart system architectures, and simulation tools have highlighted promising directions, but comprehensive and scalable solutions across diverse climatic and operational contexts are still lacking.

This Research Topic aims to bring together cutting-edge research and innovative approaches in the thermal management of electric vehicles. The primary objective is to address fundamental and applied questions about how to optimally control temperature across all key EV subsystems, enhance battery and powertrain reliability, boost overall vehicle efficiency, and ensure passenger safety and comfort. The initiative encourages exploration of new materials, integrated thermal systems, energy-efficient and lightweight solutions, and predictive modeling methodologies. Ultimately, the goal is to foster interdisciplinary insight and establish best practices that propel both academic and industrial advancements in thermal management for current and next-generation EVs.

The scope of this Research Topic covers fundamental research, applied studies, and practical case analyses on thermal management in electric vehicles, while excluding unrelated areas such as internal combustion engine cooling. Contributions may focus on any phase of research, development, testing, or integration.

To gather further insights in this domain, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
•Novel thermal interface and phase change materials for EV applications
•Integrated thermal management architectures for batteries, motors, and electronics
•Modeling, simulation, and predictive control strategies for thermal behavior
•Energy-efficient and lightweight cooling or heating solutions
•Safety considerations and prevention of thermal runaway in batteries
•Responses and adaptations to extreme environmental conditions
•Real-world case studies and future outlooks for scalable implementation.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Electric vehicles, thermal management, battery thermal runaway, heat transfer, phase change materials, cooling systems, powertrain reliability

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.