How is the battery of an electric car?

New components and compounds and chemical elements such as graphene, lithium or cobalt are starting to ring out among users, who eventually buy their car and use it on a daily basis.

Starting with the definition itself, a battery is an electrical energy accumulator, which converts the electricity supplied in a load (or through the energy regeneration system) into chemical energy, to be later released as electricity.

A battery consists of a combination of cells that create a specific voltage and current capacity. The battery is an important part of an electric car, as it determines the autonomy and the energy supply to the engine and has a major influence on the weight and design of the vehicle. They are part of a sophisticated system that, in addition to the cells themselves, also includes their container, cooling, wiring and electronic management.

A battery is made up of groups of cells connected in series, like a swarm of mini batteries, that work together to store the energy needed to move the vehicle.

With lithium-ion technology, the cell structure is always the same, whether it is a mobile phone or an electric car battery. There are always two metal plates, such as copper and aluminum. Between the metal plates are the two poles with the cathode and the anode, between which the electrical reaction takes place. The reaction requires a reactive metal such as lithium. The biggest cost factor is the composition of the cathode, ie the negative terminal of the battery. It consists of a mixture of nickel, manganese and cobalt. The anode is made of graphite powder, lithium, electrolytes and a separator.

Andreas Hintennach, director of battery cell research at Daimler, says that “silicon will largely replace graphite powder in the future. This will allow us to increase the energy density of the batteries by about 20-25%. Silicon allows us to use materials on the cathode side that are not compatible with the currently used graphite. Imagine two glasses. If you want to pour water from one to the other, the second must be at least the same size so that it does not overflow. Likewise, the anode and the cathode must harmonize, “what we call balance. Silicon is also used to improve charging speed.”

One of the current strategies is to replace cobalt with other, less critical materials, and Daimler’s research is progressing in this direction. “We are investigating this because with the current generation of battery cells we have already been able to reduce the proportion of cobalt in the active material (nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium) from about a third to less than 20%. In the laboratory we are currently working with less than 10% and this share will decrease further in the future. From a chemical point of view, there are many arguments for abandoning cobalt altogether. The more the mix of materials is reduced, the easier and more efficient it is to recycle. The energy required for chemical production is also reduced because the mixture is easier to produce.”

Another alternative is the lithium/sulfur battery. Sulfur is an almost free industrial waste product, very pure and easily recyclable. It presents significant energy density challenges, but it also has an unparalleled eco-balance. However, it could be years before this technology is available for passenger cars.

Andreas Hintennach assures that “there are even technologies that are superior to the lithium-ion battery. Among them is the solid-state battery. The technology has a very long life and also does not contain cobalt, nickel or manganese. However, the energy density is lower, making it relatively large and slow to charge. That’s why it’s good for commercial vehicles, but not for passenger cars. The lithium-ion battery will be with us for years to come.”

Lithium sulfur is a possible alternative. Replacing nickel and cobalt in current batteries with sulfur would significantly increase durability. The energy density also has a lot of potential, but the lifetime is not long enough and it will take some time before there is a breakthrough in this area. “Lithium air batteries really only contain lithium,” he says. The rest, the oxygen, just comes from the air. “Chemically, it is a similar concept to that of the fuel cell, where we use hydrogen. The energy density would be excellent, but this technology is far from a reality.”

Source: La Verdad

Ida

I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.