W hen it comes to temperature extremes, electric vehicle (EV) batteries are a lot like people. EV batteries perform best in the same sort of temperature ranges as humans do. EV thermal management systems maximize battery Cooling plates in an EV thermal management system allow liquid coolant to remove heat from the battery. One cooling plate design circulates coolant between two thin aluminum (Al) performance and extend its life. plates. The coolant flows through stamped channels in the base plate, which is joined to a top plate. To prevent coolant leakage, the base and top plates must be joined to create a tight, hermetically sealed joint (Figure 1). The welded joints must also be free of cracks that can lead to mechanical failure in the field. Cooling Plate Brazing Challenges Manufacturers started joining battery cooling plates using vacuum brazing technology. These earlier plates (Figure 2) were much smaller than the cooling Battery & Electrification Technology, March 2023 5 Iokanan VFX Studios/Shutterstock.com