Engineering and Technology
| Open Access | Integrated Thermal-Electrical Co-Optimization Architecture for Electric Vehicle Battery Systems: Advanced Refrigerant-Based Cooling, Active Cell Balancing, And Intelligent Distributed Management
Dr. Elena Markovic , Department of Electrical and Energy Engineering, University of Zagreb, CroatiaAbstract
The rapid electrification of transportation has intensified research into high-performance battery systems capable of meeting stringent safety, durability, and efficiency requirements. Thermal instability, cell imbalance, and management complexity remain key constraints in lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles (EVs). This study proposes and analytically evaluates an integrated thermal-electrical co-optimization architecture that combines refrigerant-based direct battery cooling, advanced active cell balancing topologies, and distributed battery management system (BMS) communication strategies. Drawing strictly from prior foundational works in refrigerant-based thermal systems, switched-capacitor and resonant converter equalizers, modular BMS architectures, electrochemical safety modeling, grid-scale storage analysis, and intelligent cloud-enabled battery optimization frameworks, this research synthesizes a unified conceptual and operational model. The methodology integrates descriptive electro-thermal modeling, topology-based balancing performance assessment, and distributed communication reliability evaluation in large-scale battery strings. Results indicate that direct refrigerant cooling, when coordinated with resonant or switched-capacitor equalization and monitored via high-bandwidth distributed BMS protocols, significantly enhances thermal uniformity, reduces voltage dispersion, and mitigates safety risks. Furthermore, intelligent optimization layers leveraging cloud-based analytics demonstrate potential for predictive energy management and failure detection. The findings highlight the interdependence of thermal regulation, charge equalization dynamics, and communication latency in determining overall pack longevity and safety. Limitations related to implementation complexity and system cost are critically examined. The study concludes by outlining pathways for next-generation EV battery architectures that harmonize thermal control, electrical balancing, and digital intelligence within scalable and safety-oriented frameworks.
Keywords
Electric vehicle batteries, thermal management, active cell balancing
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr. Elena Markovic
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