Bio-inspired approaches in battery thermal management of electric vehicles: A critical review of feasibility and challenges

A battery thermal management system (BTMS) is one of the most important components of electric vehicles (EVs). A well-designed BTMS can effectively control battery temperature, improve battery state-of-health, reduce degradation, and enhance thermal safety. Many advanced techniques have been employed in BTMS to improve efficiency. Bio-inspired designs, which refer to the adaptation of concepts and structures observed in biological systems into engineering applications, have recently attracted increasing attention, and several such designs have been developed by drawing inspiration from nature. Although bio-inspired components for BTMS are effective in terms of heat transfer performance, specific attention is required during the design of such structures, particularly regarding manufacturing feasibility, cost, system weight, ease of maintenance, and safety features. Hence, this review article provides a critical investigation of the feasibility and challenges associated with bio-inspired BTMS under real-world constraints. This study is organized based on sources of biological inspiration, including plants, insects, birds, aquatic plants/animals, the human body, and other natural physical phenomena. It is found that plant-inspired designs have received the greatest research attention in BTMS among various bio-inspired approaches, particularly those mimicking plant vascular structures. Despite the growing number of studies on bio-inspired BTMS, much of the existing literature relies heavily on high-fidelity simulations; therefore, more experimental studies with prototype bio-inspired components are recommended. Moreover, topology optimization has demonstrated strong potential not only for enhancing heat transfer and reducing coolant flow resistance but also for simplifying cooling plate geometries and improving manufacturability. Finally, this review highlights that bio-inspired design offers a powerful framework for innovation in BTMS. However, it should be applied such that biological inspiration is meaningfully and rigorously linked to underlying natural principles and thermal engineering performance.