Cooling system for a vehicle battery

A cooling system for a battery in a vehicle having a passenger compartment, the cooling system comprising:

• an air intake for receiving ambient air from outside the vehicle;
• a duct system configured to inhibit air flow between the duct system and the vehicle passenger compartment, and including first and second duct subsystems, the first duct subsystem being disposed between the air intake and the battery for providing an air flow path from the air intake to the battery, the second duct subsystem being disposed between the battery and the first duct subsystem for providing an air flow path from the battery to the first duct subsystem, thereby facilitating recirculation of air across the battery, the duct system being configured to selectively inhibit air flow through at least a portion of the first and second duct subsystems;
• a fan cooperating with the duct system for moving air through at least a portion of the duct system and across the battery;
• and
• a heat exchanger cooperating with the duct system and selectively operable to cool air flowing in the duct system before the flowing air reaches the battery.

A vehicle having a passenger compartment, a window assembly and a battery, the vehicle comprising:

• a battery cooling system including:
• an air intake disposed in a portion of the window assembly for receiving air from an ambient environment outside the vehicle,
• a duct system configured to selectively provide communication between the air intake and the battery, and further configured to inhibit communication between the passenger compartment and the battery,
• a fan cooperating with the duct system for moving air through at least a portion of the duct system and across the battery, and
• a heat exchanger cooperating with the duct system and selectively operable to cool air flowing in the duct system before the flowing air reaches the battery.