Efficient thermal management has become a critical issue in electric mobility. Battery and powertrain components must operate within a narrow temperature window, and their performance drops sharply under extreme conditions. The impact becomes especially clear when drivers use air conditioning or heating: a significant portion of battery power is diverted to maintaining cabin comfort, so the available driving range decreases immediately. In practice, this means that the same vehicle can travel noticeably fewer kilometers simply because the climate control system is running. Poor thermal control also affects fast-charging speed, reliability, safety, and long-term battery life. While improving the intrinsic efficiency of the battery is one possible path, research shows that even with the same battery technology, optimized thermal management alone can deliver meaningful energy savings. Developing advanced strategies is therefore essential to maximize energy efficiency and ensure consistent vehicle performance.

⦁ Radiative cooling

⦁ Thermoelectric cooling/heating

⦁ Electrochromic

Radiative cooling

 Radiative cooling enables passive temperature regulation by emitting heat through the atmospheric transparency window (8–13 μm) directly into the cold outer space. This process requires no external power, making it fundamentally different from conventional cooling methods. By designing materials with high infrared emissivity and low solar absorption, surfaces can achieve sub-ambient cooling even under sunlight. In electric mobility, such passive cooling offers a promising route to reduce battery and component overheating, and companies like Hyundai Motor are actively exploring its potential to improve efficiency, driving range, and system reliability.
(Reference: Yeongju Jung†, Minwoo Kim†, Seongmin Jeong, Sangwoo Hong, Seung Hwan Ko*, "Strain-insensitive outdoor wearable electronics by thermally robust nanofibrous radiative cooler", ACS Nano, 18(3), 2312–2324, 2024.)

Thermoelectric cooling/heating

 Thermoelectric cooling and heating operate on the Peltier effect, where applying an electrical current drives heat transfer across a junction, enabling active control of temperature. Unlike passive methods, this approach allows both cooling and heating with fast response times and precise temperature regulation. Our research further advances this concept by developing stretchable thermoelectric devices, which move beyond rigid modules and can conform to diverse surfaces. Such flexibility opens new possibilities for integration into automotive components; for instance, thermoelectric systems embedded in steering wheels or car seats could provide adaptive thermal comfort and safety. This combination of active control, rapid responsiveness, and mechanical versatility highlights thermoelectric technology as a promising solution for next-generation mobility thermal management.
(Reference: Yeongju Jung†, Joonhwa Choi†, Yeosang Yoon, Huijae Park, Jinwoo Lee*, Seung Hwan Ko*, "Soft multi-modal thermoelectric skin for dual functionality of underwater energy harvesting and thermoregulation", Nano Energy, 95, 107002, 2022.)

Electrochromic

 Electrochromic devices can reversibly tune optical properties under applied voltage. While visible-range electrochromics are used in smart windows, control in the infrared (IR) region is particularly valuable for thermal management. By switching between high- and low-emissivity states, IR electrochromics regulate radiative heat loss and overcome the drawback of passive radiative cooling, which continues cooling even in winter. For this reason, electrochromic thermal control is gaining strong attention in the mobility industry as a next-generation strategy for adaptive and energy-efficient thermal management.
(Reference: Yeongju Jung†, Kyung Rok Pyun†, Sejong Yu, Jiyong Ahn, Jinsol Kim, Jung Jae Park, Min Jae Lee, Byunghong Lee, Daeyeon Won, Junhyuk Bang, Seung Hwan Ko*, "Laser-Induced Nanowire Percolation Interlocking for Ultrarobust Soft Electronics", Nano-Micro Letters, 17, 127, 2025.)