How we can make the lithium battery last longer through new discoveries
We could make the battery of an electric car last longer by working in a completely new way. This is shown by extensive studies by scientists at Stanford University.
A persistent theory holds that the lifespan of an electric car’s lithium battery is as good as its weakest link. However, researchers are working hard to disprove this theory.
Research shows that electric cars drive longer and are cheaper
The most expensive part of an electric car is currently the battery. It uses very expensive raw materials such as lithium and nickel.
This means that all cells in a battery receive the same amount of current continuously. If we can avoid this type of charging, according to Stanford, we can increase battery life by up to 20 percent.
Everyone their share
“Our approach shows that charging each individual battery cell in principle leads to better performance,” says researcher and author Somina Onori. “This is how you get each cell in optimal condition in a balanced way, so that a battery pack lasts longer.”
It is taken into account that there are definitely cells in an electric car that function less well after a (short) time. But Stanford is now studying the principle: one bad apple doesn’t have to rot the whole box right away.
Everything under scrutiny
For her research, Onori used a computer simulation to simulate the behavior of cells in an electric car battery. It is striking that some cells change their physical and chemical properties in a very short time, while others only experience this after several years.
The simulation shows that modern batteries can be optimized during charging by considering the difference in individual cells. Subsequently, this theory can actually be applied when designing and building batteries and electric cars. In fact, it can be applied to batteries of existing electric cars.
The future of lithium
It’s clear that something like this will have a major impact on the EV industry. But manufacturers of eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft) are also dealing with these findings.
This is a very positive circumstance, because it means that these new ideas can be implemented quickly. The support of such an industry (or the army) is very useful, also for the electric car (because money).
“Lithium batteries have already changed the world in many ways,” says Onori. “That’s why it’s important that we get the most out of this technology now. But of course also for future applications and projects.”