Abstract

Electric vehicles (EVs) are still widely used all over the world, yet the performance of these vehicles, their safety, and durability are limited by the lack of the ability to effectively thermal manage lithium-ion batteries, power electronics, and drive motors. The traditional cooling fluids used e.g. water and ethylene glycol are not able to effectively cool at high charging rates and under heavy load conditions. Nanofluids, which are designed suspensions of metallic nanoparticles, metal-oxide nanoparticles, and carbon nanoparticles, provide improved thermal conductivity, better convective cooling of heat and enhanced temperature homogeneity. This review has looked at the recent developments in nanofluid-based thermal management in EV applications, which include battery cooling, motor thermal management and compact heat exchanger design. A comparative framework is introduced to evaluate the trade-offs between thermal conductivity improvement, viscosity-induced pumping penalties, and system-level efficiency. Evidence from recent studies shows that hybrid nanofluids can improve heat transfer performance by 20–35% relative to traditional coolants, though stability and increased viscosity remain challenges. The review identifies promising pathways combining nanofluids with microchannel heat exchangers and adaptive control architectures. Future work should focus on low-viscosity nanoparticle formulations, long-term stability enhancement, and scalable manufacturing for commercial EV deployment.

Key words: The safety of batteries, Electric vehicles, Heat transfer, Nanofluids, Thermal management systems