The European Union has decided that the future of transport should be electric, and other developed countries are also moving in this direction. However, there is still a long way to go before all transport moves to zero-emission driving.
The biggest winners in this process are likely to be those manufacturers who maintain a high pace of research and, at the same time, make significant investments in battery technology. What are the trends and what benefits await us?
Electrification spending is higher than national budgets
The information published by the news agency Reuters about the expected investments of car manufacturers in electrification is difficult to grasp, since it is about amounts that exceed the annual budget of small countries. However, it is a fact, and the amount of investment illustrates the scale of change to come. Thus, Volvo will invest 3.75 billion US dollars, Stellantis group 11.5 billion, Renault 9.4, Nissan 12.6, Jaguar Land Rover 12, Mercedes-Benz 17, and Hyundai-Kia group – as much as 26.3 billion US dollars. In order to improve the quality of the new generation of electric cars and prepare their companies for the electric era, many other companies will also make large investments in research centers and production plants.
Kia Concept EV3 (Publicity photo)
Ambitions for technical achievements are also grand: some companies claim that in the future their electric car will be able to travel more than a thousand kilometers on a full charge, while others are researching how to make the battery charge faster than filling the fuel tank.
Technologies reduce the cost of electric cars
The 2008 Tesla Roadster 53 kWh battery weighed 450 kg. For comparison, the equally heavy battery of the latest Hyundai Ioniq 5 holds 77 kWh. Both are made of similar materials, however the Ioniq 5’s battery has a much higher energy density.
People tend to think that new technology will make cars even more expensive. However, the opposite is true – the higher the efficiency, the cheaper the battery becomes. The more energy producers squeeze into one volume, the less expensive materials are needed. It can be said that funds are invested in batteries not to make electric cars go further, but to make them more affordable.
Elektrum electromobility expert Edgars Korsak-Mills
He emphasizes that battery technologies have developed rapidly over the last ten years, and as a result, the cost per 1 kWh has significantly decreased. Therefore, manufacturers can offer more capacious batteries (longer driving distance) at a lower price. According to Edgars, a significant drop in costs per kilowatt hour is predicted in the industry – even up to 58% by 2030.
The most popular types of batteries
The market is currently dominated by three players – CATL, LG Chem and Panasonic, which produce 69% of all batteries. Most electric cars are equipped with different lithium-ion batteries, where the main differences are found in the composition of the materials.
Hyundai Ioniq 5 (Manufacturer’s photo)
Lithium-ion batteries may use lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium manganese oxide (LMO), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), or lithium titanate. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages, i.e. different capacity, power, charging speed, service life (discharge-charge cycles), reaction to temperature, etc. Electric cars mostly use NMC, NCA, LFP and LMO batteries, and there are also differences between them. For example, NMC and NCA provide higher performance but are more expensive due to cobalt and nickel. For this reason, lithium iron phosphate batteries are becoming more and more popular.
The biggest problem is the raw materials – they are expensive, it is not easy to get them, and the resources are not unlimited. For example, a 400 kg battery may contain 126 kg of aluminum, 71 kg of graphite, 41 kg of nickel, 22 kg of copper, 12 kg of manganese and many other useful raw materials. Therefore, manufacturers try to find the best recipe in every way.
Iron phosphate batteries have a lower energy density, but the materials are more available and cheaper. For example, they are chosen by Chinese manufacturers, but Tesla also uses such batteries in the base versions of its Model 3 and Model Y. Tesla may not be the most advanced in this regard, but it has come a long way in temperature management.
Elektrum electromobility expert Edgars Korsak-Mills
In contrast, LG Chem and Hyundai currently use more advanced technologies in their batteries: they include nickel, cobalt and magnesium cathodes, as well as silicon graphite anodes. These materials can achieve higher energy density, so batteries weigh less and are more compact.
Evolution instead of revolution
True, several universities and companies are also experimenting with completely different materials. However, experts are very cautious about the possibility of experiencing a sudden revolution and consider slow progress as a more likely scenario.
Presumably, it is not the potentially best technology that will gain the most widespread use, but the one that will be commercialized first. For example, if sodium-ion batteries were to become a reality, the production infrastructure would have to be rearranged. It is quite unlikely that many companies will want to do this. On the other hand, so-called solid-state batteries could be installed even in already produced cars. However, in the future, change will not happen overnight, progress will move forward step by step.
Elektrum electromobility expert Edgars Korsak-Mills
They are called solid-state batteries because the task of the electrolyte in them is not a liquid, but a solid substance. If implemented, they would provide twice the capacity, as well as a lighter and more compact design.
Will a car with such a battery be able to travel 1000 kilometers? Hypothetically, yes, but is it really necessary? It is not heard that people complain about internal combustion cars with a range of 500 kilometers. So why demand that an electric car be able to beat a thousand? Who sits behind the wheel for that long without a break? Also, how many kilometers do we drive in a typical day? Most won’t have more than a hundred. Therefore, it is not the maximum capacity that is more important, but the developed infrastructure and the car’s ability to absorb a large amount of charging power. With a smaller battery, electric cars will be lighter, more efficient and cheaper, while we – society – must accept that any technology introduces changes, and the sooner we accept them, the easier it will be for ourselves.
Elektrum electromobility expert Edgars Korsak-Mills
If you notice an error in the article, let us know about it by highlighting the reverse text and pressing Ctrl+Enter. Thank you!
5 1 vote
Evaluation of the article
Continue Reading
2024-03-07 11:35:53
#battery #technologies #paving #future #Loaded
