Dynamic thermal safety of Tesla-like lithium-ion battery packs: a transient analysis of cooling failures and overheating in electric vehicles

• A parametric transient TRN model was developed for large-scale Li-ion battery packs under realistic failure conditions. • The model offers high-resolution temperature prediction across 448 cells, supporting BTMS safety design. • Experimental and CFD validations show errors below 3.5 %, with ∼10 × lower computational cost than CFD. • Dynamic thermal responses to sudden C-rate surges and coolant flow disruption were successfully captured. • The model supports early-stage safety screening and scenario testing in electric vehicle battery systems. This study presents a critical evaluation of dynamic battery thermal management system (BTMS) for Tesla-like lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery packs, pivotal for enhancing safety in electric vehicles (EVs). Through transient analysis techniques, the robustness of the BTMS design against demanding modes and common failure scenarios is investigated. Our results demonstrate that the proposed transient compact model based on a thermal resistance network (TRN) accurately predicts temperature distributions, achieving an average relative error of less than 3.5 % compared to experimental data. The model also proved to be approximately 10 times faster than detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Application of the model to critical failure scenarios revealed significant thermal risks: a sudden 10C discharge rate spike caused cell temperatures to soar to 42.5 °C within 15 s, 7.5 °C above the optimal threshold. Furthermore, a simulated coolant pump failure at a 2C discharge rate led to peak cell temperatures of 42 °C and a cell-to-cell temperature difference approaching 9 °C. These findings highlight the critical need for advanced control strategies to mitigate rapid overheating triggered by component failures. This work advances the understanding of thermal management challenges, offering a computationally efficient tool for designing safer Li-ion battery systems.