Advancements in thermal management solutions for electric vehicle high-power electronics: Innovations, cooling methods, and future perspectives

As the global market transitions from conventional to renewable energy sources, the production of electric vehicles (EVs) has surged, presenting new challenges that require practical and innovative solutions. Thermal management of high-power electronics (HPEs) has become a critical challenge for the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In recent years, heat dissipation in high-power electronics has reached unprecedented levels due to compact packaging, increased power density, and the transition from insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) chips to advanced wide band gap (WBG) chips. Effective cooling methods are essential for managing excessive heat dissipation and maintaining safe operating temperatures in electric vehicle high-power electronics. Conventional air and liquid cooling methods often fail to address the high heat dissipation demands of advanced high-power electronic chips due to their poor thermophysical properties. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the thermal management challenges faced by electric vehicle high-power electronics, with a particular focus on high heat dissipation devices, such as IGBT and WBG chips. The paper explores potential cooling solutions proposed by the research community, covering advanced approaches such as spray cooling, jet impingement, microchannel cooling, solid state cooling, phase change cooling, immersion cooling, and nanofluids cooling. Moreover, the review highlights novel materials used for heat regulation in electric vehicle high-power electronics while addressing the environmental implications of thermal management strategies, current industrial and market trends, and future directions for effective thermal management of EV HPE systems.