Research trends and perspectives of thermal management of electric batteries: Bibliometric analysis

The development of renewable energy sources (RES) to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals of a 100% RES-based energy system has driven a lot of research on batteries for electric vehicles and stationary applications, to further support the RES penetration. Batteries are strongly linked to the thermal conditions at which they operate, therefore the study and adequate implementation of a correct thermal management of batteries is essential for their better deployment and use. But this is a relatively new research topic with growing interest in recent years. This paper presents a bibliometric analysis of battery thermal management systems to understand the trends, assess the state-of-the-art, and identify research gaps. Results show that most research is carried out in lithium-ion batteries, and that the thermal managements systems studied are air cooling, liquid cooling, and phase change materials as passive systems or in combination with air and liquid cooling ones. The biggest research gaps are the lack of studies on other battery types and a clear comparison among these kinds of thermal management systems.