13 Jan 22
News

New research could boost EV battery life by 30%

Close-up of an EV battery.

Scientists believe they have found a method to increase EV battery life by up to 30%. This would be a major boost for electrification.

Publishing in the journal Nature, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University claim to have found a method that reverses the degeneration cycle in EV batteries. 

The research focuses on reactivating the accumulated amounts of lithium in the battery and having them reconnect to electrodes, thus expanding the life cycle of the battery. Researchers believe this reversing method can enhance battery life by up to 30%. 

Battery fire

This finding could help researchers to develop new-generation lithium-ion batteries that would weigh less, have longer life cycles, be safer and charge faster. Scientists are also working on developing lithium-metal batteries, which could store more energy with less weight, taking up less space and offering better mileage per charge. 

Yi Cui, a professor at Stanford and SLAC says the method could be used to mobilize and recover the isolated lithium in batteries, thus reducing the risk of battery decay, and even battery fire. 

Image: Shutterstock

Authored by: Mufit Yilmaz Gokmen