Advancements and challenges in battery thermal management technologies for electric vehicles; a systematic navigation on the latest trends

• A comprehensive review of advanced battery thermal management systems for EV is presented. • The influential role of temperature control in improving Li-ion battery safety and performance. • Hybrid cooling solutions to optimize efficiency and reliability in future EV applications. The considerable development rate of electric vehicles (EVs) as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-powered transportation systems has increased the essential presence of efficient and reliable battery systems. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), by providing high energy density and extended lifecycle, are susceptible to temperature instabilities, affecting their safety, performance, and durability. In this case, high-efficiency battery thermal management systems (BTMSs) are important to guarantee thermal stability and uniform distribution of temperature through EV battery packs. This review study presents a comprehensive review with standard evaluations of the latest developments in BTMS, including air, liquid, phase change materials (PCMs), and heat pipe (HP)-developed cooling systems. The main objective in the assessed studies lies in the design inventions, performance optimization approaches, and hybrid methods. Dissimilar from the literature, this study stands as a state-of-the-art review of technical results with a comparative outline that assesses each technology’s competitiveness, integration possibility, and scalability for real-life applications. The work also summarizes key trends in research and determines future guidelines to pave the way for the development of next-generation BTMSs for EV batteries.