British Company Tests Cheaper, More Potent Lithium-ion Car Battery

When we talk to grid folks about EVs, everyone seems to think we’re going to see them later rather than sooner because the batteries are too expensive. But we expect to see some great improvements in this area that will help ease EV sticker shock … and here’s one example of a company that’s working the problem.

Qinetiq, a British defense and security technology company, is working on a new lithium-ion vehicle battery that would cost half as much and last longer than those in use today. The battery uses a lithium-ion iron-sulfide chemistry that company officials say has several advantages over the batteries in use today.

Gary Mepsted, technical manager for Qinetiq's power sources group, said the cost of the new battery would be half as much as existing batteries and that the battery would last longer and recharge faster than other lithium-ion batteries. The battery the company is working on has shown about 1.6 times the energy density of today's batteries, which would increase an EV's range, and 50% more power density, which would permit faster charging and recharging.

Safety is a concern, though. Reacting iron sulfide with lithium is unstable. And in general, batteries big enough and potent enough to power a car can combust or explode if overcharged or involved in a collision. Qinetiq officials say they've solved the stability issue, but aren't talking about how.

Qinetiq is collaborating on the two-year, $3.2 million project with Ricardo, a British technology, product innovation, engineering and consulting provider. A Ricardo researcher commented that while results are promising, the battery needs more cell chemistry development before it could be a candidate for production.

More resources …

   MIT Technology Review article

   Energy storage

   Electric transportation

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