Evaluation of the Impact of Cooling Regimes on Battery and Passenger Cabin in EVs

Abstract

Efficient thermal management of battery packs in electric vehicles (EVs) is critical for maintaining operational performance, ensuring safety, extending battery lifetime, and preserving passenger thermal comfort. Excessive battery temperatures accelerate degradation and increase safety risks, while aggressive cabin cooling can significantly raise energy consumption. In this study, a Model-Based Design (MBD) framework is developed to investigate the coupled thermal behavior of the battery pack and passenger cabin through a multi-domain system-level simulation integrating electrical and thermal subsystems. Three distinct thermal control strategies, prioritizing cabin cooling, battery cooling, and a balanced compromise, respectively, are evaluated under ambient temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 40 °C. The simulation results reveal pronounced trade-offs between battery temperature regulation, cabin comfort, and overall energy consumption. The balanced control strategy achieves battery temperature levels comparable to the battery-priority strategy while maintaining acceptable cabin comfort and moderate energy use. The findings demonstrate that integrated and adaptive thermal management strategies can effectively reconcile competing thermal demands, offering a promising pathway to improve EV energy efficiency, safety, and operational robustness under diverse climatic conditions.