A team of researchers funded by Tesla has found a way to dramatically improve the longevity of electric car batteries.
While the electric car continues to become more popular, manufacturers still need to improve technologies to better deal with the few obstacles that remain. We obviously think of the recharging time, which tends to be shorter, as well as the autonomy, which continues to improve, in particular thanks to the increase in energy density which makes it possible to put bigger batteries in cars.
But another problem is sometimes put aside, that of the longevity of the batteries, which is not related to the kilometers traveled, but to the number of charge / discharge cycles as well as the age of the battery. According to EDF, the average longevity is 1,000 to 1,500 cycles of rechargethat is between 200,000 to 500,000 km depending on the batteries. This corresponds to a lifespan of 10 to 25 years for a car driving around 20,000 km each year.
Increased longevity
A correct duration, but which could very well be extended, according to a team of researchers from the Tesla Advanced Battery Research, a center created by Elon Musk’s brand in collaboration with Dalhousie University, Canada. He works in particular with Jeff Dahn, recognized for his research on lithium-ion batteries. And the latter made a major discovery with his team of researchers.
In an article published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society, the scientist indeed details how it could be possible to increase the life of electric car batteries. Thanks to his research, Jeff Dahn was indeed able to find a process that could make it possible to operate an accumulator for more than 100 yearsin particular by increasing its energy density, thanks to the use of NMC batteries containing graphite, like LFP batteries, but integrating a new technology.
An innovative technique
NMC batteries, present in the vast majority of electric cars (alongside the quite similar NCA batteries) use lithium, manganese and cobalt. LFP batteries, not widely used but increasingly found in more affordable electric cars, use lithium, iron and phosphate. Which allows to design less expensive batteries with longer lifebut heavier (due to a lower energy density than NMC) and less efficient in cold climates.
Jeff Dahn then took over the NMC battery recipe using graphite and LiFSI lithium. It turns out that these batteries can hold more energy than their LFP counterparts, while having better longevityalso being able to withstand a greater number of charge cycles.
Heat: the enemy of batteries
According to the research team, batteries should ideally be kept at 25° for maximum life, which is possible thanks to active cooling systems. It should be noted that this technique (the use of lithium LiFSI and graphite) can also be used on other types of batteries, and in particular those using less or no cobalt, a material extracted mainly in Congo, under conditions sometimes unethical. It only remains to be seen whether this technology can be adapted to mass production.
While manufacturers are actively thinking about recycling the batteries of their electric cars, Suzuki seems to have found a new solution.
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