Battery Breakthrough May Triple the Range on a Single Charge

A battery breakthrough may be on the horizon if Canadian research pans out.

Quanan Pang, who led the research while a PhD candidate at Waterloo, and his fellow researchers made a breakthrough involving the use of negative electrodes made of lithium metal. The material has the potential to dramatically increase battery storage technology.

With increased energy density and therefore energy capacity, electric vehicles could see as much as three times the range on a single charge.

“This will mean cheap, safe, long-lasting batteries that give people much more range in their electric vehicles,” said Pang.

In developing the technology, two challenges arose for researchers. The first involved a risk of fires and explosions caused by microscopic structural changes to the lithium metal during repeated charge-discharge cycles. The second involved a reaction that creates corrosion and limits both how well the electrodes work and how long they last.

Researchers were able to solve both problems by adding a compound of phosphorus and sulfur to the electrolyte liquid carrying a charge within batteries.

Technical Details

Those interested in the technical details can find them on Joule: An In Vivo Formed Solid Electrolyte Surface Layer Enables Stable Plating of Li Metal.

Timeframe?

I have always been in the group who believed electric would win out. However, theoretical research is one thing and actual development that works without a hitch is another. Anyone recall exploding phones?

At triple the range, electric becomes a viable option for a huge percentage of people.

The question now is not if such technology will eventually work, but when.