The battery thermal management system (BTMS) is arguably the main component providing essential protection for the security and service performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As a major category of BTMS, the liquid-based technique has been extensively analyzed and reviewed due to its high heat transfer efficiency and good thermal stability. Since the multi-dimensional characteristics should be considered in BTMS design, a. The battery thermal management system (BTMS) is arguably the main component providing essential protection for the security and service performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As a major category of BTMS, the liquid-based technique has been extensively analyzed and reviewed due to its high heat transfer efficiency and good thermal stability. Since the multi-dimensional characteristics should be considered in BTMS design, a diversified evaluation criteria for various types of liquid-based BTMS is essential. Besides, the multi-objective optimization design is necessary to sufficiently exploit the overall system performance. However, the multi-objective optimization process and unified evaluation system have not been well refined and summarized. In this paper, the existing liquid-based systems are systematically summarized and analyzed according to the specific classification. To facilitate the system design of various objectives, a general framework of multi-optimization methodology are concluded. Another contribution is that we try to construct a unified and comprehensive evaluation of variety liquid-cooled BTMS. Several typical liquid-based BTMSs are reconstructed and simulated numerically under the same conditions, then comprehensively evaluated by five indicators from different aspects. In general, the unified evaluation criteria is conducted to provide references for future BTMS design, and more dimensions are desired to be introduced for extensively application.••A systematic review of liquid-based battery thermal management system (BTMS) is carried out.••The multi-optimization process is refined and summarized to improve various objectives.••Typical liquid-based BTMS models are rebuilt and simulated under uniform circumstances.••The rebuilt model of several BTMSs is simulated to undertake the multi-dimensional evaluation.••Lithium-ion batteryElectric vehiclesBattery thermal management systemLiquid-basedOptimizationUnified comparisonAc convection heat transfer area (m2)cpb specific heat capacity of battery (J kg−1 K−1)cpc specific heat capacity of coolant (J kg−1 K−1)D' hydraulic diameter (mm)dU/dT entropy coefficient (V °C−1)hc Batteries have been widely recognized as a viable alternative to traditional fuels for environmental protection and pollution reduction in energy storage. Lithium-ion batteries (LIB), with their advantages of high energy density, low self-discharge rate, cheap maintenance and extended life cycle, are progressively becoming dominant in battery world [2,3]. Relevant reports have illustrated that the worldwide lithium-ion battery shipment had reached 294.5 GWh in 2021, among which Chinese market accounted for 158.5 GWh. Besides, the demand for LIB is prospected to significantly expand in the next five years.LIBs are particularly common in new energy vehicles, represented by electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). In automotive applications, thousands of cells are assembled to create battery modules, which are subsequently integrated into a battery pack. Under complex operating conditions, LIBs are influenced by different factors such as temperature, pressure, and vibration. A variety of problems need to be solved urgently, among which the thermal issue is particularly significant, because it is closely related to safety, performance and state estimates. The schematic of temperature effects on LIBs and the main battery thermal management system (BTMS) types is displayed in Fig. 1.
