New battery technology could speed up the time it takes to charge electric vehicles, scientists say. Sodium-ion batteries have emerged as a possible replacement for the current lithium-ion batteries on the market.
Scientists have developed a new coin-shaped sodium-ion battery with higher capacity and rapid charging rates, and the technology apparently has the potential to power anything from phones to cars.
Currently, it can take anywhere from 20 minutes to more than an hour to charge an electric vehicle in the US. The new batteries could charge EVs in seconds.
Sodium-ion is more widely available and cheaper than lithium, but it weighs three time as much.
The Swedish manufacturer Northvolt announced a breakthrough in the development of sodium-ion batteries earlier this year. The potential of sodium-ion was known, but the batteries on the market had a lower lower power output and storage capacity.
In a study published in the journal Energy Storage Materials, researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory said they had found a way to solve those issues.
In the study, they said that they developed a new framework and improved the battery. They claim that the new battery can achieve an energy storage capacity of 247 watt-hours per kilogram and deliver power at 34,748 watts per kilogram.
US manufacturers are eyeing sodium-ion technology. Natron Energy just started commercial-sale operations at its sodium-ion battery plant in Michigan this week, and battery maker Clarios recently announced a partnership with Swedish company Altiris.
There are over 2.4 million electric vehicles currently registered in the US, with the market share expected to increase by up to 11 percent this year.
Samsung SDI, the Korean giant’s battery biz, promised EV batteries that can charge to 80 percent capacity in a mere nine minutes, plus models that can perform at that level for 20 years.…
The ultra-fast charging battery will enter production in 2026. The long-lived product will start rolling off factory floors in 2029.
Samsung SDI teased the tech in March of this year. At the 37th Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition (EVS37) taking place this week in Seoul, it is also displaying an anode-free all-solid-state battery (ASB) with a 900-watt-hour per liter density, which it eyes to start mass-producing in 2027.
Solid-state batteries are considered a significant step up from lithium-ion due to their higher energy density, faster-charging capabilities and perceived safety as ASBs are less likely to catch fire.
Samsung’s already tried to reduce the likelihood its kit catches fire, a live issue as Li-Ion-powered appliances and e-bikes spark domestic blazes that have regulators worried that low-quality products increase risks.
The Korean champ’s approach is to use vents that exhaust heat and gas so that if its batteries are involved in an accident or fire the chances of thermal runaway are reduced.
“New products from the company such as 46-phi batteries [a measure of battery diameter] are also part of the exhibition, along with a cell-to-pack (CTP) concept that increases energy density yet decreases cost,” stated Samsung.
The chaebol’s battery unit pitched the battery advancements as “super-gap” technology that will “pioneer the future global EV market.”
Japanese automaker Toyota has several battery undertakings, including in joint ventures with Panasonic. The company has claimed it is ready to roll out its solid-state-batteries with a range of 745 miles (1200 km) and charge time of 10 minutes by 2025.