The non-combustible nature of solid-state batteries also reduces the risk of thermal runaway, allowing for a tighter packaging of the cells and consequently improving the design flexibility and volumetric density.įurther, Braga and Goodenough found that their solid-glass electrolytes could operate and maintain high conductivity at sub-zero temperatures down to -20C, addressing a major shortcoming of standard EV batteries. A solid-state electrolyte is presumed to be non-combustible or at least resistant to self-ignition. The glass solid-state battery can have three times higher energy density 2 by using an alkali-metal anode (lithium, sodium or potassium) that increases the energy density of a cathode and delivers a long cycle life. Goodenough, together with fellow researcher Maria Helena Braga, published a paper in 2017 1 on their development of a low-cost battery based upon a glass electrolyte that is non-combustible and has a long cycle life (battery life) with a high volumetric energy density and fast rates of charge and discharge: the solid-state battery.Ī solid-state battery has the potential to improve most of the concerns with present-day Li-ion listed above. The co-founder of the Li-Ion battery, and recent Nobel prize laureate, John B. Not so solid ground for a change in dominant battery type The question then arises whether there are any other battery chemistries that can both address these issues and compete with performance? With over 55% of global reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo, cobalt will face increasing constraints due to rising demands for both supply and connected to environmental and sustainability concerns associated with the mining process. Production of Li-ion batteries are also straining the world’s supply of cobalt. There are barriers for a greater use of existing batteries in transportation in addition to safety: cost energy density (both volumetric- and weight-wise) charge- and discharge rates and life-time. Because ethylene carbonate is flammable, it contributes to concerns for battery fires and consequently toxic gassing. The electrolyte is designed to lend stability to both the anode and cathode.
Present day Li-ion batteries use an electrolyte in which the main ingredient, by volume, is ethylene carbonate. For a smaller vehicle like a Tesla Model 3 or Hyundai Kona EV, range could be doubled, or prices could be reduced 25-50%, indicating that a practical EV with long range could be purchased for a price in the range of 20,000-30,000 USD.īut the Li-ion batteries are also flawed.
Conversely, if the battery pack volume is cut in half, a Tesla Model S cost may be reduced as much as 50% because less battery is needed for the same performance, and the battery is the bulk of the vehicle cost. For reference, within 10 years if the energy density of batteries is doubled, a vehicle such as the Tesla Model S won’t have 500 km of range, but 1000 km. Currently these rates appear linear, however if greater compounding occurs, these metrics will be met much earlier. Today, these batteries have achieved low cost and increasing energy density - not by leap-frogging their competition with technological breakthroughs, but with simple and persistent engineering optimization of their production methods, tooling, speeds, and efficiency.īy extrapolating the present improvement rate, NCM Li-ion batteries will achieve $100/kWh at the cell level and will likely achieve 300 Wh/kg before 2030. As the cost of these batteries has significantly reduced over the last decade, they are becoming a more viable alternative for long duration applications by simply stacking them in larger quantities. Li-ion batteries have become winners because they are cheap and perform well. From ships to tablets, NCM has had significant adoption in recent years, with manufacturers such as LG and Samsung putting it at the centre of their battery production portfolio. Li-ion's massive uptake is in part due to Li-ion Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese (NCM) batteries, which have a good balance of energy density, power and comprise much of the present growth in battery electric vehicles in the automotive sector as well as for battery-hybrid and fully electric ships. Yet, the widely adopted rechargeable battery isn’t optimal for safety or resource-utilization. Out of the transportation means which are powered by batteries, Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) constitute 95-99% of those batteries.
0 kommentar(er)
