Week 6 Session 13

With the demand for electrical vehicles increasing, all the major manufacturers have started investing in battery system technologies to develop new and improved methods to store energy in a cheaper and more efficient, environmentally friendly way.

Some of them are as follows.

1)Battery Swapping

A technology in which users can exchange the expended batteries from their vehicles with new fully charged batteries. This technology significantly reduces the charging time while also decreasing the load on the electric grid.

2)Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte with a solid like glass or ceramic significantly reducing the weight of the battery pack. Solid-state batteries are also much smaller in size, this allows battery manufacturers to stack more cells per meter. A property that when combined with the higher energy density of solid-state electrolytes increases the capacity of the battery. Solid-state batteries are much safer to operate at higher temperatures and can handle larger loads.

3)Lithium-Sulfur Battery

In the Lithium-Sulfur battery, the anode is replaced with metallic Lithium while Sulfur serves as the cathode. Discharging the battery produces Lithium-ions that move through the electrolyte. These ions interact with sulfur at the cathode end converting the sulfur into Lithium Polysulphides. This process is reversed while charging. The primary reason why Lithium-Sulfur is one of the battery trends to expect in the future is due to its high specific energy, in the order of 450W/kg. The higher energy density of Lithium-Sulfur renders itself viable to be used in electricity storage from renewable sources.

4)Immersion cooling.

Immersion cooling is a method in which the entire battery pack is immersed in a heat transfer fluid. The battery pack is connected through a heat pipe to a radiator where heat transfer occurs. Direct contact with the battery pack allows for better cooling solutions. Immersion cooling solution reduces temperature by an additional 9.3% in comparison to liquid cooling.