The short lifespan of batteries, mining involved in their production, and numerous detrimental environmental effects of batteries have been eyed by scientists as an area that needs drastic changes. Long-lived batteries that will have fewer effects on the environment sounds like a far-fetched idea; however, recently, Tesla researchers have been working on a novel battery design that can allegedly last up to a hundred years.
Tesla's Battery Research
A Tesla logo is seen on a 250kW electric vehicle charging station at the Tesla Inc. supercharger station on January 4, 2021, in Hawthorne, California. - After shares rocketed higher in 2020 on surging auto deliveries, Tesla enters 2021 with plenty of momentum even as its vision of taking electric cars mainstream remains a way off
If you are an avid follower of Tesla, you should know Jeff Dahn and his team of researchers at the Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. Dahn is mainly responsible for all the talk revolving around the "million-mile" electric vehicle battery, which sounds astonishing, and, as it turns out, isn't out of reach. Recently, the team with ties to Tesla has published a paper about an energy-dense electric vehicle battery that could allegedly last up to a hundred years.
According to InsideEvs, Tesla, famed for its electric cars, created the Tesla Advanced Battery Research division in 2016. The group was put together as part of a collaboration with esteemed battery expert Jeff Dahn, one of the earliest experts on Lithium-ion batteries. Together with his group, their primary goal is to create longer-lasting batteries with increased energy density and decreased costs, among priorities.
Together with his team of researchers, Dahn created multiple patents and published papers related to Tesla's batteries. Tesla decided to extend their contract with the Canada-based researchers until 2026.
Creating a Hundred Year Lasting Battery: Tesla's Latest Feats
In the paper published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society, titled "Li[Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2]O2 as a Superior Alternative to LiFePO4 for Long-Lived Low Voltage Li-Ion Cells," authors explain the potential use of nickel-based battery chemistry. Like the lithium-ion phosphate batteries we use today, the proposed new technology holds a charge longer and has a higher energy density than its lithium-ion counterpart.
Since Tesla's new battery technology requires fewer battery cells, it also helps solve the problems of material shortages and significantly brings down the cost of electric vehicles, according to Inhabitat.
The recent paper notes that the ideal citation for the battery to reach its maximum potential is to maintain temperatures of 25 degrees Celsius, which can last up to a century or even a little more. The recent design could work with little to no cobalt, which would lessen the battery's environmental impact. Mining cobalt for batteries often leads to polluted waters, soil, and air, while miners often struggle with numerous health problems such as respiratory illnesses.
In the quest to develop a perfect battery, energy density is vital. Less density means a bigger battery is needed to go a specific distance. On the other hand, a higher energy density battery not only takes up less space in the car but will also allow the vehicle to run further. One of the reasons why fossil fuel still permeates today is because of its significantly higher energy density.
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