In the race to develop the next generation of electric vehicles, the automotive industry has invested billions in new battery chemistries. Yet while we wait for solid-state batteries and silicon anodes to reach the mass market (a process that could still take a decade), a critical area of technological development has been overlooked: thermal management
Cooling systems for EV batteries have been forgotten, becoming standardized across the automotive industry. Every major OEM uses essentially the same conventional solution, regardless of the drivetrain architecture. It’s an area where innovation has stalled, where tailored engineering excellence has given way to accepting a solution that is ‘good enough’ but nothing more.
In failing to focus and invest in this area, the industry has missed easy wins for efficiency and performance – at a time when the automotive sector has never been more competitive
The existing liquid cooling systems treat the entire battery pack uniformly, with no ability to control different parts of the pack, meaning that hot spots develop in certain modules while others remain cooler. As a result, the battery management system throttles power across the entire pack to protect the hottest cells, even though much of the battery could safely handle higher rates. This means there is slower charging, reduced efficiency and diminished overall performance.
The zonal cooling advantage
To date, OEMs haven’t considered modular cooling for batteries, but they should. If you have true independent zones, you can ensure that each module in a battery operates at optimum temperature, so charging power can be maximized and temperature differentials minimized. Splitting the battery pack into four modules is an ideal way to do this, enabling you to standardize modules and, in turn, standardize cells.
At Hydrohertz, we’ve developed the Dectravalve to enable more precise cooling. This compact, intelligent valve system delivers independent zone control while also reducing complexity and weight. It’s a game-changing piece of tech; a single, digitally controlled valve that can manage four or more cooling zones separately, optimizing them to transform efficiency for both charging and discharging.
In testing with Warwick Manufacturing Group, we’ve demonstrated up to 68% reduction in fast-charging times, 10% improvement in range (48-64km more range for a typical EV), and a temperature difference of just 2.6°C across the pack (versus up to 12°C difference without Dectravalve). Dectravalve also brings an 83% weight reduction – 2kg versus 12kg for conventional systems – and saves approximately 10 parts compared with conventional systems, thus reducing cost and complexity.
Dectravalve is chemistry-agnostic, so whether you’re working with today’s NMC and LFP cells or future solid-state technologies, it can continue to offer precise thermal control. With transformative tech like Dectravalve, OEMs can improve existing batteries today and optimize whatever chemistry emerges tomorrow.
Thermal management has been the forgotten discipline in EV development. Yet it represents perhaps the most accessible path to dramatically improved performance: sub-10-minute charging, longer range, extended battery life and enhanced safety. An intelligent cooling valve like Dectravalve can be key to unlocking all these benefits and reaching ‘convenience parity’ with ICE vehicles.
While the automotive world waits for the next battery breakthrough, the easy win is already here. It’s time we paid attention to thermal management and recognized the role it has to play in unlocking the true potential of EVs.
About Paul Arkesden
Paul is a senior automotive executive and chartered engineer with over 30 years of leadership experience. A specialist in automotive engineering and vehicle design, he has led advanced engineering initiatives across ICE, hybrid and EV platforms, lightweight structures and next-generation manufacturing.