Electric vehicle batteries: what will they look like in the future?
“Gigafactories” could one day be churning out millions of electric vehicle batteries in the UK. The government has already committed the country to a ban on selling new petrol- and diesel-engined cars by 2030, so it seems that electric vehicles (or EVs, as they’re often abbreviated) are likely to replace much of today’s fleet.
What will all these batteries look like? Most EVs today use lithium ion batteries, but these have a number of limitations. Luckily, scientists and engineers are exploring a number of ways to overcome these challenges that could help give the drive to convert cars to electricity a boost.
Lithium-ion batteries were first marketed by Sony in 1991 and have come to be the most prevalent rechargeable battery in vehicles, just as they are in mobile phones and laptops. They are more efficient and have longer lifetimes – between 15 and 20 years, about three times that of a traditional lead-acid battery. Crucially, lithium-ion batteries store more energy and are also much lighter, meaning a vehicle equipped with one uses less energy to move.
The lithium ion batteries have higher energy density (both Wh/KG and Wh/L) than most others that are commercially available. They are used in most mass-produced electric cars. They are fairly expensive and contain some elements that are rare/expensive. The lithium iron phosphate batteries are still decent and have much less expensive chemistry (around $80/kWh), so they are being used in lower priced cars that have lower ranges. For most people who need a car for local transport (commuting and errands) these cars are more than adequate and will likely become extremely common. The fact that the batteries only contain common elements plus lithium is another advantage.
But the question was about the future of electric car batteries. There are several technologies that are in development and which should decrease the cost of batteries and their energy density. Those technologies include solid state batteries (no flammable liquid or gel), Sodium ion batteries, and Lithium Sulfur batteries. Because Lithium Sulfur batteries have very high theoretical densities, no need for rare/conflict elements, and are already being produced at the lab level, I expect that they will become a dominant battery type in cars and aviation where high density is very important.
Car batteries will likely live part of their lives in cars, then transition to power storage in homes and businesses, then eventually be recycled for their lithium and other recoverable materials.
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