Then there might be improved lithium-ion batteries, maybe using silicon anodes or rocksalt cathodes, for mid-range vehicles, or perhaps solid-state lithium batteries will take over that class. Then there might be LiS or even lithium–air cells for high-end cars — or flying taxis. But there’s a lot of work yet to be done.
These should have more energy and performance, and be manufactured on a sustainable material basis. They should also be safer and more cost-effective and should already consider end-of-life aspects and recycling in the design. Therefore, it is necessary to accelerate the further development of new and improved battery chemistries and cells.
See all authors The development of new batteries has historically been achieved through discovery and development cycles based on the intuition of the researcher, followed by experimental trial and error—often helped along by serendipitous breakthroughs.
A major trend is to replace critical elements in the battery by more sustainable solutions, while still improving the properties of the battery. In general, the following development trends can be noticed: • Replacement of critical elements in the cathode by more sustainable elements with a higher natural abundancy.
It should also be noted that a cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles is already achievable for the shallow charge and discharge , . The cost of the battery needs to be reduced to less than $100 kWh −1 and the cost of the whole battery system (including the battery management system, BMS) reduced to less than $150 kWh −1.
Conversion between electric and chemical energy inside batteries takes place at the interfaces between electrodes and electrolytes. Structures and processes at these interfaces determine their performance and degradation.