NOVELTY - A thermal management system for providing improved temperature distribution for batteries and other energy storage devices comprises: (a) a fan moving fluid at a flow rate; (b) an energy storage device with an exposed surface; and (c) a heat transfer shell with an interior surface spaced apart from the exposed surface.    USE - The thermal management system is useful for providing improved temperature distribution for batteries and other energy storage devices. The battery cooling system is useful for managing temperature distribution in a vehicle battery. The vehicle is adapted for managing temperature distribution within battery cells (all claimed).    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - A thermal management system for providing improved temperature distribution for batteries and other energy storage devices comprises: (a) a fan moving fluid at a flow rate; (b) an energy storage device with an exposed surface; and (c) a heat transfer shell with an interior surface spaced apart from the exposed surface, where the interior surface defines a channel for the moving fluid to flow at the flow rate over the exposed surface from an inlet to an outlet of the channel and where the channel has a first hydraulic diameter at the inlet and a second hydraulic diameter smaller than the first hydraulic diameter at the outlet to the channel. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for:    (1) a battery cooling system for managing temperature distribution in a vehicle battery comprising: (a) a housing for receiving the vehicle battery; and (b) a flow channel defined by an interior surface of the housing, where the interior surface is spaced apart from the received vehicle battery and the flow channel has an inlet end for receiving cooling air flow and an outlet end for discharging the cooling air flow after contact with a surface of the received vehicle battery, where the flow channel has a first hydraulic diameter proximate to the inlet end and a second hydraulic diameter proximate to the outlet end, and the second hydraulic diameter is smaller than the first hydraulic diameter; and    (2) a vehicle adapted for managing temperature distribution within battery cells comprising: (a) a battery pack with a cell surface exposed for direct contact heat transfer; (b) a fan assembly operable to provide flowing air; and (c) a channel with an inlet for receiving the flowing air and an outlet for discharging the flowing air after the direct contact heat transfer with the cell surface, where the channel has a cross-sectional shape defined by a dimension representing spacing of a channel upper wall from the cell surface, the cross-sectional shape dimension is greater at the inlet than at the outlet.