Li-ion battery cells are temperature sensitive devices. Their performance and cycle life are compromised under extreme ambient environment. Efficient regulation of cell temperature is, therefore, a pre-requisite for safe and reliable battery operation. In addition, modularity-in-design of battery packs is required to offset high manufacturing costs of electric vehicles (EVs). However, modularity of battery packs is restricted by flexibility of traditionally used battery thermal management systems. For example, scalability of liquid cooled battery packs is limited by plumbing or piping and the auxiliary equipment used in the system. An alternative thermal management system is, therefore, required for modular EV battery packs.

In this paper, state-of-the-art developed to control battery temperature near a pre-specified state is qualitatively reviewed with the intent to identify potential candidate for implementation in a modular architecture. Some of the novel techniques that provide high-scalability in addition to appreciable cost and energy-savings over traditional methods are also evaluated while considering the development state and associated technical risks. It is found that only a hybrid system can meet technical requirements imposed by modular design. Based on the current state, phase change materials and thermoelectric devices are more likely to be part of this next generation thermal management system.

锂离子电池是温度敏感设备。在极端环境下，它们的性能和循环寿命会受到影响。因此，有效调节电池温度是电池安全可靠运行的先决条件。另外，需要电池组的设计模块化来抵消电动汽车（EV）的高制造成本。然而，电池组的模块化受到传统使用的电池热管理系统的灵活性的限制。例如，液冷电池组的可扩展性受到管道或管道以及系统中使用的辅助设备的限制。因此，模块化电动汽车电池组需要替代的热管理系统。

在本文中，定性地审查了为控制电池温度接近预定状态而开发的最新技术，目的是确定在模块化体系结构中实现的潜在候选对象。在评估开发状态和相关的技术风险的同时，还评估了一些新颖的技术，这些技术除了具有可观的成本和与传统方法相比的节能外，还具有很高的可扩展性。发现只有混合动力系统才能满足模块化设计带来的技术要求。基于当前状态，相变材料和热电设备更有可能成为该下一代热管理系统的一部分。