The developments in the field of batteries for electric vehicles are certainly not standing still. Not only are batteries with an ever-increasing range being developed, but also batteries that can be charged in a short time so that users do not have to stand still at a charging station for a long time.
Two recent developments come from Toshiba and Samsung. A new battery from Toshiba allows a vehicle to be charged enough in six minutes to cover a distance of up to 320 kilometres. A new modular battery system from Samsung allows the range of a vehicle to be adjusted by placing more or fewer modules in a car.
Car manufacturers are increasingly focusing on electric vehicles. These vehicles have a built-in battery that stores the energy needed to drive the electric motor. This battery is charged by connecting the vehicle to a charging station. However, this process takes a relatively long time, which is impractical if a user wants to travel long distances in succession. It is possible to address this problem by choosing a battery that can be charged very quickly, but these are less suitable for electric vehicles due to their limited capacity.
Fully charged in six minutes
Toshiba is capitalising on this with its latest generation SCiB battery. This battery gives a small electric vehicle with a 32kW motor a range of up to 320 kilometres, while the battery can be fully charged in six minutes. This is possible thanks to the use of a titanium-niobium oxide anode material. This material increases the range that electric vehicles with comparable lithium-ion batteries can cover by a factor of three, according to Toshiba.
When fast-charging a lithium-ion battery - and charging in cold conditions - a phenomenon called lithium metal deposition can occur. Lithium metal deposition is a major cause of capacity degradation in lithium-ion batteries, which limits the lifespan of such batteries. The new titanium-niobium oxide anode material is less susceptible to lithium metal deposition, preserving capacity longer. Tests on a 50Ah prototype battery show that it still has 90% of its initial capacity after 5,000 charge/discharge cycles.
The speed at which the battery charges incidentally depends, among other things, on the temperature at which this occurs. Under optimal conditions, this process takes six minutes. At lower temperatures, this time can go up to 10 minutes. The battery can be charged at outdoor temperatures down to -10°C. The new battery is expected to be available from 2019.
Modular battery system
Also new is a modular battery system from Samsung called a 'multifunctional battery pack'. This system was presented by Samsung at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The battery system consists of several battery modules that can be linked together. This allows the capacity of an electric vehicle to be adjusted as desired by the manufacturer.
With the system, Samsung aims to give car manufacturers more freedom in the design of their electric vehicles. Batteries are one of the biggest cost items in electric cars and therefore largely determine the cost price - and thus the selling price - of the vehicle. The modular battery system gives manufacturers more freedom in designing models for specific target groups. For instance, manufacturers could limit the range of certain models by including fewer modules in the vehicle, theoretically allowing a vehicle to be marketed at a relatively low selling price. At the same time, the maximum range could be increased by actually putting more batteries in the vehicle.
As an example, Samsung mentions a premium car, in which 20 battery modules are mounted. This vehicle can thereby be equipped with a range of between 600 and 700 kilometres. Another example cited by the company is a regular sedan in which 10 to 12 battery modules are installed. This arrangement gives such a vehicle a range of up to 300 kilometres.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Toshiba
Source: Samsung
Source photo: Pixabay
