When discussing the attributes of electric vehicles, the talk always seems to wind its way to the subject of batteries. No other component—if that’s what you call the large block of cells that make up the battery—receives as much attention, whether it’s how far the vehicle will travel between charges or how quickly the battery can be fully charged. Innovations in battery technology and design grab the headlines in many technical journals on almost a daily basis.
“10 Emerging Technologies” published in the May/June issue of MIT Technology Review takes a look at what the editors believe will be the 10 most likely and exciting emerging technologies to impact our lives in the years to come. This issue highlights each of the emerging technologies and the people behind them. One of those technologies involves the work Ann Marie Sastry at Sakti3 has embarked upon in the development of solid-state batteries for electric vehicles.
Ms. Sastry, who founded the company in 2007, wants to eliminate all of the bulk not directly used in storing energy in the battery with the goal of chopping the size of the battery in half. This size reduction quite possibly could equate to a 50% decrease in the cost of the battery. That could be significant since batteries for electric vehicles can cost several thousands of dollars, as noted in the article.
Maintaining stable operation in a conventional lithium-ion battery requires cooling and safety systems to prevent it from overheating or overcharging. These systems are unnecessary in solid-state batteries because the liquid electrolyte is replaced with a thin, nonflammable material that can accommodate multiple charge-discharge cycles and not be affected by high temperatures.
According to the article, Ms. Sastry has developed software “to identify combinations of materials and structures that will yield compact, reliable high-energy devices.” These combinations help determine how they will perform in an actual battery cell. Toyota and GM have shown an interest in solid-state batteries with GM investing more than $3M into Sakti3 last year.
Continuing with the innovation theme, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois is working on a technology to speed up the recharge cycle of batteries for electric vehicles. In a recent article in Gizmag entitled “New battery technology may allow for complete recharging within minutes,” the professor is combining an ultra-capacitor with a conventional battery. The capacitor, which can be charged and discharged rapidly, will provide the initial power while the battery supports the sustaining power.
The charge/discharge cycle can be improved, according to the article, by turning the thin-film active material into a 3-D structure which has the capability to store more energy because of its increased volume. Tests on the battery design have shown a 10 to 100 times faster charge/discharge cycle than that exhibited by a conventional one.
Although you’ll never be able to charge the battery in your electric vehicle in the same amount of time it takes to fill the tank in your gas-powered car, these emerging technologies are heading in the right direction to offer motorists the convenience of smaller, cheaper, higher energy power sources. However, it will take a few more years of development before your vehicle is equipped with any of these innovations.
Paul Milo
Editorial Director
[email protected]