There has been a major breakthrough in batteries. Dalhousie University from Canada has developed a new variant to the lithium nickel manganese cobalt battery, which can last for a century.
The lifestyle of humans is gradually changing for the purpose of conserving energy and reducing carbon, where renewable energy and EVs have become major doctrines, though the importance of batteries has also exponentially risen amidst the elevated essentiality of intermittent green energy and the climbing popularization of EVs. Battery energy storage systems are indispensable in stabilizing power grids and storing renewable energy, where charging piles and batteries are obviously very much in need for EVs.
Battery has been proven to be an effective replacement for energy. With that being said, batteries used by EVs remain obstinately high in prices, and are not capable of long duration, which is why the research team at Dalhousie University from Canada has been studying on the prolongation of battery lifespan, before having managed to develop a battery that can be used for a century.
The new battery is a variant Li[Ni0.5Mn0.3Co0.2]O2 of the lithium nickel manganese cobalt battery. Research personnel discovered that a slight adjustment by placing the battery under a lower voltage would further extend its lifespan as opposed to other batteries such as lithium iron phosphate. The battery is expected to last for about a century under 3.8V and a temperature of 25°C.
However, the issues of the battery comes from its higher cost and lack of eco-friendliness. Zinc batteries are unable to fulfill the power demand of EVs, and are more applicable on long-term energy storage systems. As for eco-friendliness, even though Tesla recently pointed out that the design of batteries will no longer require cobalt metal after alteration, the possibility of commercial applications should also be taken into consideration.
(Cover photo source: shutterstock)
