TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - Preferred System: In the battery pack thermal management system, the high temperature material is comprised of a metal with a melting temperature greater than 800 degrees C. The high temperature material is comprised of at least an outer layer and an inner layer, where the inner layer is comprised of a ceramic, and where the ceramic inner layer prevents the outer layer from melting during the battery pack thermal runaway event. The high temperature material is comprised of at least an outer layer and an inner layer, where the inner layer is comprised of an intumescent material, and where the intumescent material inner layer prevents the outer layer from melting during the battery pack thermal runaway event. The battery pack enclosure further comprises: a first housing member configured to hold the set of batteries; a second housing member configured to be coupled to the first housing member; means to secure the first housing member to the second housing member; and a sealing gasket configured to fit between a first sealing surface corresponding to the first housing member and a second sealing surface corresponding to the second housing member, the sealing gasket further configured to be interposed between the first and second sealing surfaces when the first housing member is secured to the second housing member, where the sealing gasket includes a first portion comprised of a first gasket material with a first melting temperature, and where the sealing gasket includes a second portion comprised of a second gasket material with a second melting temperature, where the second melting temperature is less than the first melting temperature, and where the enclosure failure port is comprised of the second portion of the sealing gasket. The enclosure failure port further comprises: a cover attached to the wall of the battery pack enclosure, where the cover covers a port within the wall of the battery pack enclosure; and a sealant, where the sealant attaches the cover to the wall of the battery pack enclosure, and where the sealant fails during the battery pack thermal runaway event and allows detachment of the cover from the wall. The enclosure failure port is comprised of a region of the wall that is thinner than a surrounding portion of the wall that surrounds the region, where the region of the wall fails during the battery pack thermal runaway event and allows hot gas from within the battery pack enclosure to exhaust through the failed region. The enclosure failure port is comprised of a region of the wall that is surrounded by scoring, where the region of the wall fails during the battery pack thermal runaway event and allows hot gas from within the battery pack enclosure to exhaust through the failed region. The enclosure failure port further comprises: a cover attached to the wall of the battery pack enclosure, where the cover covers a port within the wall of the battery pack enclosure, where the cover is comprised of a material with a lower melting point than the high temperature material of the wall of the battery pack enclosure, and where the lower melting point temperature corresponds to a temperature associated with the battery pack thermal runaway event; and means for attaching the cover to the wall of the battery pack enclosure, where the means for attaching the cover to the wall is comprised of a material selected from bonding materials, solder materials, and welding materials. The enclosure failure port as well comprises: a cover attached to the wall of the battery pack enclosure, where the cover covers a port within the wall of the battery pack enclosure; and a set of bolting members, where the set of bolting members attaches the cover to the wall of the battery pack enclosure, and where the set of bolting members fail during the battery pack thermal runaway event and allow detachment of the cover from the wall. The enclosure failure port is comprised of an enclosure connector configured to fail during the battery pack thermal runaway event and allow hot gas from within the battery pack enclosure to exhaust through the failed enclosure connector; and a coolant connector configured to fail during the battery pack thermal runaway event and allow hot gas from within the battery pack enclosure to exhaust through the failed coolant connector. Moreover, the enclosure failure port is configured to preferentially fail along a first portion of the enclosure failure port, where the preferential failure directs the hot gas out of the battery pack enclosure in a preferred exhaust direction. The battery pack thermal management system further comprises a heat resistant channel, where an entrance of the heat resistant channel is proximate to the enclosure failure port, where the battery pack enclosure is mounted to a vehicle, where the hot gas exhausted through the enclosure failure port during the thermal runaway event passes through the heat resistant channel, and where an exit port of the heat resistant channel directs the hot gas away from a vehicle passenger compartment. The battery pack enclosure is mounted to a vehicle, where the battery pack thermal management system further comprises at least one layer of a thermally insulating material positioned between the battery pack enclosure and a vehicle passenger compartment.