How are EV Batteries Manufactured?

Electric Vehicles are the indisputable future of the automotive industry. They pave the way for a cleaner and emission-free industry. According to a survey by CIEL HR Services, the Indian EV Sector is witnessing a 108% increase in employment opportunities in India. Also, according to the Indian Labor Organization, the employment potential in the renewable energy industry will increase to 38,00,000 by 2030. 

 

What is the Heart of an Electric Vehicle?

It is of course the battery. EVs employ Lithium-Ion batteries, which are somewhat similar to the battery you’ll find in your laptop, cellphone, and many other types of electronics. Comparatively, just a lot bigger and more complex.

 

Electric car batteries are made of lithium-ion cells and are even larger and heavier than the batteries in conventional vehicles. This is primarily because they have to generate enough energy to move an entire car.

How are EV Batteries Made?

So, let’s start from the beginning with how the batteries are made!

 

Now, fret not, we’re not transporting you back to school for a complicated science lesson on how electric vehicle batteries are made. Instead of making it arduous, we are going to keep it simple, whilst still educating you on the heart of your electric vehicle: the battery.

 

Lithium-ion batteries, the most common battery types used in electric vehicles are made of elements including carbon or graphite, metal oxide, and a lithium salt. These elements make up positive and negative electrodes and in conjunction with the electrolyte, produce an electric current that makes the battery work to power your vehicle and make the wheels turn. It is also the same battery that you will find in your everyday technologies, such as mobile phones and laptops, just a bigger and more complicated one.

 

The beauty of how electric vehicle batteries are made is that 80% of the components are recyclable, so when your battery is at the end of its lifecycle, it can be stripped down to reuse the materials.

 

How are EV Batteries Recycled?

 

Cobalt is the main factor that makes recycling batteries economical because other materials like lithium, although cheaper to mine are difficult to recycle.

 

In a typical recycling plant, batteries are first shredded into a powdered mixture of all the materials used. That mix is then broken down into its individual components, either by liquefying it in a smelter or by dissolving it in acid. Lastly, metals are precipitated out of the solution as salts.

 

Research efforts have made it possible to improve the process to make recycled lithium economically attractive. The vast majority of Li-ion batteries are produced in Asia namely China, Japan, and South Korea. Due to this, recycling capabilities are growing fastest there. For example, a Chinese company, Guangdong Brunp, China’s largest maker of lithium-ion cells, can recycle 120,000 tonnes of batteries per year, according to a report from their spokesperson. That’s the equivalent of what would be used in more than 200,000 cars, and the firm is able to recover most of the cobalt, lithium, and nickel.

 

The Way Forward

Batteries technology will always have room for growth. If you want to excel in the field of EV, the time is right for you to make a move because the EV market is on a monumental rise. The need for experts in the field continues to rise and will rise in the foreseeable future. It is your turn to equip yourself with the right skills and knowledge to excel. We are here with you on this journey.

 

Our PG program on EVs will help you understand the key concepts in designing an electric vehicle. It will train you in industry-relevant tools like MATLAB, Simulink, SocketCAN, LINUX, C++, ANSYS Maxwell, Altium Designer, and LTspice.

To learn more about the functioning of an electric vehicle, enroll now in our one-of-a-kind EV course, for free! The ball is in your court now.