Over the years, lithium-ion batteries, widely used in electric vehicles (EVs) and portable devices, have increased in energy density, providing extended range and improved performance.
At least 750,000 registered EVs in the U.S. run on lithium-ion batteries -- popular because of their high energy storage but containing a flammable liquid electrolyte component that burns when overheated.
Emerging technologies such as solid-state batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, and flow batteries hold potential for greater storage capacities than lithium-ion batteries. Recent developments in battery energy density and cost reductions have made EVs more practical and accessible to consumers.
With the price of Li 2 CO 3 increasing from 50,000 CNY per ton in 2018 to approximately 600,000 CNY per ton in 2022, the recovery of lithium from spent batteries has gained attention (Zhang et al., 2023; Zhang et al., 2020).
Empirically, we study the new energy vehicle battery (NEVB) industry in China since the early 2000s. In the case of China's NEVB industry, an increasingly strong and complicated coevolutionary relationship between the focal TIS and relevant policies at different levels of abstraction can be observed.
Sodium-ion batteries are another option where sodium replaces the lithium electrolyte. As sodium is more readily available than lithium, it could significantly reduce the battery’s cost.