Among the challenges of sustainable mobility is making progress in developing mobility solutions that are increasingly in line with respect and care for the environment.
In this sense, the focus is on developing and producing the necessary automotive components that enable electric and sustainable mobility without losing the goal of enjoying excellent mobility capabilities in terms of electric efficiency, speed, and range.
At the center of this objective are the lithium batteries, a fundamental element to operating electric vehicles that bets for complete energy efficiency, leaving aside the combustion engines characterized by their high levels of pollutants.
From Rossvolt, as experts in electric mobility and all the factors that influence it, we will delve into lithium batteries to know their environmental impact and their contribution to sustainable electric mobility. Read on!
Why are lithium batteries one of the challenges of electric mobility?
Lithium batteries are currently the focus of research worldwide due to their importance in the energy transition process, especially in the electrification of the automotive sector.
Its development has experienced remarkable growth in recent years, as it is one of the technologies beginning to lead the new energy and mobility paradigm. Lithium batteries are one of the main challenges of electric mobility because they are key to the continued progress in the design and performance of electric vehicles.
Increasing their capacity is among the objectives of numerous research projects, in addition to discovering how to optimize the recycling process for lithium batteries.
This insistence on improvements in this type of battery is supported by the importance of sustainable mobility, predicting an all-electric future on the roads.
The European Commission’s report «Strategic Research Agenda for batteries 2020″ states that by 2030 the world energy demand is expected to reach 2,600 GWh. According to experts, this figure makes it clear that electric batteries need to be more powerful, charge faster and last much longer.
In addition to this report, PROMET stands out; the analysis focuses on extending the life of lithium-ion batteries that also seeks to have a more efficient battery design from the beginning, which does not entail so many tests or such high costs related to its development.
This research has resulted in a digital battery model, which includes a tool that simulates the process of assembling the battery, analyzing the final quality of the product, its capacity loss, and other issues to estimate its maximum lifetime.
The degradation process of the electric batteries has also been the focus of analysis to find out how they lose their capacity to store energy and why their performance decreases over time, a research that has also been carried out through a digital battery model.
As is logical, the PROMET project is key for battery manufacturers to realize the advances achieved through digital models and that these advances are reflected in the incorporation of lithium batteries that meet these characteristics in the different models of electric vehicles.
This type of research is necessary to continue incorporating advances in the automotive and mobility sector. Lithium batteries, undoubtedly, already reflect the result of long research processes that make visible that efficient, sustainable, and electric mobility is possible.
What are some of the challenges to be faced when designing lithium batteries?
Lithium batteries are the present and the future of mobility, as they can store more energy in less space than other batteries, thus posing a challenge to the challenges of climate change through decarbonization and renewable energies.
In addition, lithium-ion batteries incorporate other elements that improve their performance and safety, controlling the charge and current flow, recording the last capacity reached in the full charge, and controlling the temperature.
Despite the many positive functionalities incorporated, lithium batteries are still exposed to research to integrate advances in their operation, charging, and useful life, among which we can differentiate:
- Lithium batteries charger. Developing faster, more efficient, and accessible battery chargers are necessary. Charging the vehicle must be a dynamic process that does not take too much time. It is also vital to increase their capacity to reduce the charges needed to cope with a trip.
- Efficient rechargeable lithium batteries. Lithium batteries always lose some of their charging power. Depending on the model, it will take more or less time, but degradation is inevitable. Increasing the time they last offering maximum performance should be one of the objectives.
- Recycling lithium batteries. Recycling lithium batteries is a challenge in electric mobility; looking at developing a recycling process that allows them to be given a second useful life. Currently the batteries of motorcycles and cars are being reused for other elements that are less demanding. For example, there are companies that are professionally dedicated to making powerwalls so that photovoltaic energy can be stored in homes. This is just one example of how vehicle batteries can be given a second life.
Compared to traditional rechargeable battery technology, lithium batteries have many advantages, mainly related to charging time, higher energy density, no memory effect, and no loss of charge when not in use. However, they are still open to incorporating many other advantages that make it clear that electric and sustainable mobility is possible and is the future of the automotive industry.
At Rossvolt, with a clear focus on energy efficiency, environmental care, and respect, we will continue our production of electric motorcycles incorporating the latest technological advances in the battery system, range, and design. Are you ready to join the electric mobility revolution? Join Rossvolt!