- Tesla’s tie-up with the world ladder in battery technology
- A major switch in renewable sources of power
- It can reduce carbon emissions
The world nowadays is looking to reduce carbon release. One of the ways to achieve this can be electric transportation as it can help countries achieve the targeted emissions. To make this a permanent solution, we need to switch to renewable sources of power.
Electric vehicle makers have to be much more cautious so that they don’t become a problem themselves. Recently Electrek reported that “Tesla’s battery research arm based in Canada published a paper earlier this month that provides details of a battery design that could serve us for 100 years,”
Tesla, which is owned by Elon Musk has recently collaborated with Jeff Dahn, who is the world’s leading expert on battery technology. He is an important figure in lithium-ion batteries that are used in most electric devices today. His main focus is to work on the li-ion batteries. Dahn has also accomplished commercial success of li-ion batteries after he worked on increasing their life cycles.
Tesla has set up its Advanced Battery Research division at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada where Dahn is already working. This gives benefits Tesla to get his expertise in the area. The batteries will form the foundation of electric transportation on which Dahn has already been working. He aims to increase their energy density and durability.
Dahn’s work in this area has already produced a lot of patents and papers for Tesla, says Electrek. A recent paper in the Journal of The Electrochemical Society provides details of a new type of battery cell that can be much superior to the li-ion cells in use.
The paper claims about battery chemistry that uses nickel in its mix, bringing in high energy density to the picture which can give a higher range for electric vehicles. These batteries also show higher durability than Li-ion batteries when charged at various temperatures. “In a hypothetical situation where the battery is used at a temperature of 25 degrees at all times, the battery life could exceed 100 years,” said the paper notes.
Energy density is the amount of energy that can be stored in a unit volume of fuel. This is an important measure for an electric vehicle since it tells its range. A battery with less energy density would need a larger battery pack to cover a given distance. But a battery with a higher energy density would occupy less space in the car while also covering range problems associated with electric vehicles.
Fossil fuels today, such as gasoline, have the highest energy density known to humanity, and man-made battery packs are less than a hundred times as energy-dense as fossil fuels. However, the impact of fossil fuels on the climate has been very dangerous, and we need to work on improving the battery technology that we have today.
Tesla has recently opted to increase its cooperation with Dahn’s group through 2026. The world is sure to see Tesla covering up the range expectations in the future.
