Just as for conventional vehicles with internal combustion engines, vehicles that are entirely operated by electricity must be cooled. Due to different temperature requirements of the individual parts (battery, power electronics, drive motor), the thermal management system cannot simply be adopted from a vehicle with combustion engine. A particular challenge is maintaining the proper temperature of the battery because it works optimally between 15 °C and 30 °C. This requires both the ability to heat and to cool, depending upon the ambient conditions.

In a cooperative project called "Complete simulation of a battery-powered electric vehicle", commissioned by the Ministry for Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg, these aspects of electric driving will also be considered, among other things.