Tag: Batteries

Engineers from Monash University have made a breakthrough that could enable zinc-air battery technology to move beyond small devices and into large-scale, high-power applications such as electric vehicles and grid storage. The new catalyst design promises increased power, longer battery life and lower costs, using materials that are abundant and safe. Zinc-air batteries work by … Continue reading Monash Uni on the brink of zinc-air battery technology breakthrough

A team of scientists at Australia’s Monash University have achieved a breakthrough in developing an ultra-fast charging lithium-sulphur (Li-S) battery that is poised to power everything from long-haul electric vehicles (EVs) to commercial drones. This game-changing technology, detailed in a recent publication in ‘Advanced Energy Materials’, could also pave the way for electric aircraft in the … Continue reading Aussie battery breakthrough: Ultra fast-charging lithium-sulphur tech

The recent four-day Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, attracted 141,000 attendees and more than 4,500 companies, reinforcing its standing as the world’s largest trade-only event, renowned for showcasing groundbreaking technologies. Below we highlight a few innovations that captured our attention, as well as a debrief on Volvo Trucks’ keynote vision for the … Continue reading Paper batteries to electric planes: No wonder the Consumer Electronics Show is now simply CES

Mercedes-Benz CTO Markus Schäfer with the CLA concept

Mercedes-Benz CTO Markus Schäfer says developments in lithium-ion batteries could potentially mean that solid-state batteries “may not be necessary” because “so many people have worked on the conventional cells, making them so much better”.  While the majority of electric vehicles currently utilise lithium-ion batteries with a liquid electrolyte, the industry has been shifting its focus … Continue reading Solid state batteries? No need: Mercedes

The surge in global demand for batteries, fuelled by the rapid electrification of vehicles and the demands to store renewable energy, has brought attention to the environmental drawbacks of lithium extraction methods.  For instance, the evaporation ponds in Chile, where lithium-rich brine is concentrated, use 682 times more water than sodium extraction methods, leading to … Continue reading Life after lithium: Future battery technologies

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), part of the US Department of Energy, has worked with Microsoft to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing to discover a groundbreaking substance that could reduce the use of lithium in batteries by up to 70 per cent. This achievement comes as concerns about the … Continue reading Artificial Intelligence helps find new battery tech

Chemicals firm BASF has established a state-of-the-art facility for battery material production and recycling in Schwarzheide, Germany with both production and recycling at the same location. Minimising transportation of materials between the two facilities reduces costs and environmental impact while improving operational and logistical efficiency. Co-location of both production and recycling epitomises the concept of … Continue reading Battery material production logically placed on same site as recycling facility

Toyota has partnered with the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to create a cutting-edge electric storage system that utilises recycled electric vehicle batteries. Energy stored in these batteries will come from renewable sources and be used during times when wind-generated power isn’t enough to meet grid requirements. The new electric storage system will have an … Continue reading Toyota repurposing used EV batteries into grid-scale renewable energy storage

A sharp increase in sales of electric vehicles has uncovered a foggy phenomenon during the Northern Hemisphere winter that caused enough ‘no smoke without fire’ concern to result in reports of fires to emergency services. However, the clouds emitted by Teslas while rapid charging have been identified as condensation from the thermal management system rather … Continue reading Tesla fog mystery solved

Tesla is set to introduce a new large “tabless” battery cell that is said to offer significant improvements in efficiency, capacity and ease of production. Its new cell technology, which was previewed at the Tesla Battery Day event in September, will enable a greater vehicle range, easier production and reduced costs – all factors that … Continue reading Tesla’s innovative ‘tabless’ cell design reduces complexity and increases performance