Unlike the batteries in conventional cars, which primarily work to start the engine and run accessories, like air conditioners and radios, batteries in electric cars power everything, including the motor, or to be more exact, they power the controller that runs the electric motor.
Electric lithium-ion batteries have been the heart of electric vehicles since their inception; however, there are many disadvantages to them, because they are
• Potentially volatile, causing overheating, fires and explosions
• Slow to charge and not energy dense
• Prone to losing power after repeated charging
• Heavy and expensive.
In order to replace conventional gas-powered vehicles, electric cars need batteries that are powerful and last longer, with a minimum of recharging. Right now, there are no reliable, mass-produced batteries that can help electric cars compete with conventional, gas-powered cars in terms of affordability, power and convenience.
Electric cars have started to roll off the assembly lines of the big automobile manufacturers; however price and range anxiety is still an issue. The main cost of an electric car is in the battery, so car manufacturers and other companies are scrambling to come up with a more affordable, safer and energy-efficient electric car battery.
Here are the major types of batteries currently in the works:
• Lithium Sulfur: Lithium-sulfur batteries are superior to lithium-ion due to their high energy density, which is about four times higher than lithium-ion batteries. They are also lighter, less prone to overheating and less expensive, because sulfur is a relatively cheap compound. Research is underway to improve their shelf life enough to replace lithium-ion batteries in most electric vehicles.
• Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Although many people think that hydrogen fuel-powered electric vehicles won’t realize any major market acceptance until 2030, fuel cell-based vehicles could provide a similar range as conventional vehicles, with zero emissions. Right now, hydrogen fuel cells have a high production cost.
• Magnesium-Ion Batteries: Magnesium-ion is more powerful than lithium-ion, more abundant and less expensive. It is also not as prone to overheating. Research has proven the conductivity is more efficient than lithium-ion, too.
• Lithium-Air Batteries: Lithium-air batteries offer a highly-enhanced energy density over lithium-ion. Although implementation is approximately five to 15 years away, imagine being able to drive a car thousands of miles without recharging.
• Sodium-Air Batteries: The capacity of the sodium-air battery is lower than lithium-air, but it is higher than lithium-ion and easier to produce than lithium air. It is currently in its experimental stage, but sodium-air charges easier than lithium-air and holds a superior charge, as well. The problem is that you can only charge sodium-air a few times before it dies.
• Lithium-Imide Batteries: Lithium-Imide limits thermal expansion in extremely hot temperatures. Researchers are working with silicon-based anodes that enable a higher energy density than carbon-based anodes.
• Duel Carbon Batteries: Dual carbon technology substitutes lithium-oxide terminals with plain carbon. They don’t get as hot and can charge up to 20-times faster. Carbon is easily obtained and there is reduced degradation over time, as well.
• Graphene/Carbon Nanotubes: Graphene and carbon nanotubes have shown great promise for improving energy storage. Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology are conducting research in teaming graphene up with the lithium-ion battery to store energy in the body panels of electric vehicles, which would allow for faster, longer lasting charging. Graphene can produce batteries that can charge instantly and last as long as 20 years with a dramatically larger range, saving a large amount of money for electric vehicle drivers.
• Silicon-Based Lithium-Ion Batteries: Scientists use silicon instead of carbon as the electrode material in lithium-ion batteries to harness silicon’s tenfold energy density compared to carbon-centric lithium-ion batteries. Using silicon, they hope to raise the energy density of lithium-ion batteries by up to 40 percent. The challenge is that carbon, unlike silicon, expands under lithium-ion insertion, causing it to degrade and fracture.
• Aluminum-Air Batteries: Aluminum-air generates electricity when oxygen in the air reacts with aluminum, creating a battery with enormous energy density. The problem is the high anode cost and by-product issues. Right now, they are utilized mainly for military applications. It is possible for an electric vehicle with aluminum-air batteries to produce as much as eight times the range of lithium-ion batteries, and they weigh much less.
Phinergy, partnering with Alcoa, recently tested a small electric vehicle with lithium-ion and Al-air batteries that had an amazing range of 1,000 miles.
Modular aluminum cartridges are not rechargeable, but it is possible to exchange them for new cartridges. They could serve as a back-up power source along with a lithium-air battery to offer drivers a carbon-free alternative.
• Zinc-Air Batteries: Zinc-air batteries, like aluminum-air, they are not rechargeable. Zinc-air batteries provide high energy density and are inexpensive to manufacture. They are a practical option for small applications, such as hearing aids and cameras. For electric vehicle use, the batteries have to be much bigger. Zinc-air batteries may be a viable energy source for electric vehicles and even be used for utility-grade energy storage.
• Gel Batteries: Gel cells are VRLA batteries that gelify electrolytes. Fumed silica combines with sulphuric acid to create an immobile, gelatinous mass. Gel batteries are free of the inherent problems of wet-cell batteries, such as corrosion, evaporation and spills. They are also more resistant to extremes in temperatures, shocks and rod vibrations.
Consumers want to drive energy-efficiently, but not at the cost of their hard-earned money. With all the existing expenses of car ownership, from maintenance and fuel to insurance and repairs, car makers want to answer the call. While finding cheap auto insurance may be quite simple, finding an affordable electric vehicle just isn’t possible right now.
As scientists, researchers and electric automobile manufacturers grapple with EV range anxiety, batteries will continue to evolve. With all the research studies and testing being conducted, it is only a matter of time before they come up with a smaller, lighter, affordable and more energy efficient battery.
I think that this article addresses what you and I are talking about @nihilism
My position is the case for Lithium is diminishing every day...
"Electric lithium-ion batteries have been the heart of electric vehicles since their inception; however, there are many disadvantages to them, because they are
• Potentially volatile, causing overheating, fires and explosions
