Electric Vehicles have been becoming popular these days. These electric vehicles are powered using Battery packs. In this article, we will discuss multiple types of battery packs used in electric vehicles. Before moving any further let us first answer what is the battery?
Table of Contents
What is the Battery?
Batteries are a collection of one or more electrochemical cells, used as a source of electricity. A battery consists of 3 components anode, cathode, and some kind of electrolyte. Electricity is produced in a battery through a chemical reaction.
When anode and cathode are connected through a circuit, a chemical reaction takes place and causes electrons to flow through the circuit.
Based on recharge capacity batteries can be divided into two types. Primary type and secondary type. Primary batteries are one which can not be recharged and have to be thrown out once consumed, whereas secondary batteries can be charged and reused.
Batteries used in our TV remotes are an example of primary batteries, whereas batteries used in laptops or Electric Vehicles are an example of secondary batteries.
How does Battery work?
Before proceeding any further it is important to understand the complete working of a normal battery.
As we already discussed, batteries consist of one or more electrochemical cells. The purpose of an electrochemical cell is to convert chemical energy to electric energy. Electricity is a type of energy produced by the flow of electrons.
Each electrochemical cell consists of two electrodes separated by an electrolyte. The electrons flow from one electrode called the anode (or negative electrode) to another electrode called the cathode (the positive electrode). This flow of electrons generates electricity. Electrodes are generally different types of metals or other chemical compounds.
The world’s first electrochemical cell, Voltaic Pile, was built by Volts. In Volta’s pile, the anode was the zinc, from which electrons flowed through the wire when attached to the silver, which was the battery’s cathode. Paper soaked in saltwater was used as an electrolyte.
In simple words, its two chemical reactions generating electricity. Anode reacts with electrolyte to generate electrons and cathode reacts with electrolyte for making cathode ready to accept electrons.
The technical chemical term for this combined reaction is the reduction-oxidation reaction, more commonly called a redox reaction.
The entire reaction can be split into two half-reactions, and in the case of an electrochemical cell, one half-reaction occurs at the anode, the other at the cathode. The reduction reaction is the gain of electrons, and is what occurs at the cathode; we say that the cathode is reduced during the reaction. Oxidation is the loss of electrons, so we say that the anode is oxidized. These two chemical reactions lead to the flow of electrons or what we call electricity.
What are the types of Batteries used in EV?
Lithium-Ion Battery
A lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery is an advanced battery technology that uses lithium ions as a key component of its electrochemistry.
During a discharge cycle, lithium atoms in the anode are ionized and separated from their electrons. The lithium ions move from the anode and pass through the electrolyte until they reach the cathode, where they recombine with their electrons and electrically neutralize. The lithium ions are small enough to be able to move through a micro-permeable separator between the anode and cathode. In part because of lithium’s small size which is third only to hydrogen and helium, Li-ion batteries are capable of having a very high voltage and charge storage per unit mass and unit volume.
Li-ion batteries can use a number of different materials as electrodes. The most common combination is that of lithium cobalt oxide (cathode) and graphite (anode), which is most commonly found in portable electronic devices such as cellphones and laptops. Other cathode materials include lithium manganese oxide, used in hybrid electric and electric automobiles, and lithium iron phosphate. Li-ion batteries typically use ether as an electrolyte.
One question you might have had is why do we use lithium anyway. To understand that we need to understand electrochemical potential.
The electrochemical potential is the tendency of a metal to lose an ion. Lithium has one of the highest electrochemical potentials, hence widely used for battery purposes. But Lithium-ion in pure form is very reactive and reacts with air and water as well, but as a part of metal oxide it is very stable, hence in batteries lithium is used as a part of metal oxide.
Various types of Li batteries are:
- lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP)
- lithium titanate (LTO)
- lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC)
- lithium manganese oxide (LMO)
- lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA)
Ni-MH(Nickel Metal Hydrate) Battery
Like other batteries the structure for Ni-MH battery remains same i.e.it also has three components Anode,Cathode and Electrolyte.
The positive electrode or the cathode in Ni-MH battery is Nickel hydroxide same as positive electrode in NiCd battery.The nickel oxide – hydroxide electrode only exchanges a proton in the redox reaction, and this results in a very small change in size, resulting in a high level of mechanical stability, and in turn results in a longer battery life cycle.
Hydrogen is used as a negative electrode in Ni-MH battery.Since its difficult to hold hydrogen in its pure state,it is used in the form of metal hydrate.As a matter of fact,Metal Hydrate has the capacity to hold 1% to 2% Hydrogen.
The electrolyte in the NiMH cell is an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide, KOH, which has a very high conductivity. The solution does not enter into the NiMH cell reaction to any significant extent. It is found that the electrolyte concentration remains almost constant over the charge / discharge cycle. This is important because the concentration of the electrolyte is the main contributor to the cell resistance. This means that the performance of the cell remains almost the same over the entire charge range.
Electro Chemistry
The negative electrode reaction occurring in a NiMH cell is
H2O + M + e− ⇌ OH− + MH
On the positive electrode, nickel oxyhydroxide, NiO(OH), is formed:Ni(OH)2 + OH− ⇌ NiO(OH) + H2O + e−
Ni-MH battery was advancement to Ni-Cd Battery.It has many advantages over Ni-Cd battery.I have listed few here.
- 30 – 40 % higher capacity over a standard Ni-Cd.
- The Nickel Metal Hydride Battery has potential for yet higher energy densities.
- Environmentally friendly — contains only mild toxins; profitable for recycling.
NiMH batteries were frequently used in prior-generation electric and hybrid-electric vehicles; as of 2020 have been superseded almost entirely with lithium-ion batteries in most of the electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, but they remain in use in some hybrid vehicles (2020 Toyota Highlander, for example). Prior all-electric plug-in vehicles included the General Motors EV1, first-generation Toyota RAV4 EV, Honda EV Plus, Ford Ranger EV, and Vectrix scooter. Every first-generation hybrid vehicle used NIMH batteries, most notably the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, as well as later models including the Ford Escape Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, and Honda Civic Hybrid also use them.
Lead Acid Battery
In Lead Acid Battery, pure lead is used as the negative electrode, PbO2 is used as the positive electrode and the aqueous sulfuric acid is used as the electrolyte. The electrical energy produced by a discharging lead–acid battery can be attributed to the energy released when the strong chemical bonds of water (H2O) molecules are formed from H+ ions of the acid and O2− ions of PbO2. Conversely, during charging, the battery acts as a water-splitting device.
Electro Chemistry
The total reaction can be written as
Pb(s) + PbO2(s) + 2H2SO4(aq) → 2PbSO4(s) + 2H2O(l)
Lead Acid Batteries have multiple uses such as automobile starting, lighting, etc. But due to limitations such as corrosion, short life it has been overtaken by Li-ion batteries in most of the applications.
Comparison Table
| Chemistry | Lithium Cobalt Oxide | Lithium Manganese Oxide | Lithium Nickel Manganese Oxide | Lithium Iron Phosphate | Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide | Lithium Titanate Oxide | Nickel-metal-hydride | Lead Acid Battery |
| Nominal voltage | 3.60V | 3.70V (3.80V) | 3.60V (3.70V) | 3.20, 3.30V | 3.60V | 2.40V | 1.20V/cell (1.25) | 2.00V |
| Full charge | 4.20V | 4.20V | 4.20V (or higher) | 3.65V | 4.20V | 2.85V | 2.40V, or more | |
| Full discharge | 3.00V | 3.00V | 3.00V | 2.50V | 3.00V | 1.80V | ||
| Minimal voltage | 2.50V | 2.50V | 2.50V | 2.00V | 2.50V | 1.50V (est.) | 0.05C | |
| Specific Energy | 150–200Wh/kg | 100–150Wh/kg | 150–220Wh/kg | 90–120Wh/kg | 200-260Wh/kg | 70–80Wh/kg | 60–120Wh/kg | 30–50Wh/kg |
| Charge rate | 0.7–1C (3h) | 0.7–1C (3h) | 0.7–1C (3h) | 1C (3h) | 1C | 1C (5C max) | 0.5–1C | 0.1–0.05C (16h charge time to get for full saturation) |
| Discharge rate | 1C (1h) | 1C, 10C possible | 1–2C | 1C (25C pule) | 1C | 10C possible | 1C | |
| Cycle life (ideal) | 500–1000 | 300–700 | 1000–2000 | 1000–2000 | 500 | 3,000–7,000 | 300–500 | 150–200, longer if not discharged lower than 60% SoC |
| Packaging (typical) | 18650, prismatic and pouch cell | prismatic | 18650, prismatic and pouch cell | 26650, prismatic | 18650 | prismatic | ||
| History | 1991 (Sony) | 1996 | 2008 | 1996 | 1999 | 2008 | Research started in 1967, commercial in the 1980s; derived from nickel-hydrogen | Oldest rechargeable battery in 1859 by Gaston Planté; coating of lead sheet with lead oxides in 1880 |
| Application | Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, cameras | Power tools, medical devices, powertrains | E-bikes, medical devices, EVs, industrial | Stationary with high currents and endurance | Medical, industrial,EV (Tesla) | UPS, EV, solar street lighting | Hybrid cars, consumer, UPS | SLI (starter, light, ignition) for vehicles |
| Comments | High energy, limited power. Market share has stabilized. | High power, less capacity; safer than Li-cobalt; often mixed with NMC to improve performance. | High capacity and high power. Market share is increasing. Also NCM, CMN, MNC, MCN | Flat discharge voltage, high power low capacity, very safe; elevated self-discharge. | Highest capacity with moderate power. Similar to Li-cobalt. | Long life, fast charge, wide temperature range and safe. Low capacity, expens | More delicate than NiCd; has higher capacity; less maintenance | Well-suited for SLI. Low price; large temperature range |
How to Extend the Life of Electric Vehicle Battery?
As we use batteries their life is ought to reduce due to calendar aging, but there are certain practices we can adapt to extend Electric car battery life.
- Don’t Park your car in areas exposed to direct sun heat. This kicks in the Temperature management system of your battery and in turn shortens battery life.
- Use smart chargers to charge your battery and use Rapid charging as a last resort as rapid charging can shorten battery life.
- Avoid keeping batteries to 0% or 100% charge. Although 100% charge gives you maximum run time it is not suggested to charge at 100%, since multiple cells are used in the battery pack and each might have different storage capacity, charging to extremes can hamper performance. Luckily most of the electric vehicles nowadays come with a battery management system, which manages battery charging cycles to avoid the above-stated situation.
List of Battery Manufacturers
| Region | Maker | Model | Model year | Supplier | Products |
| ASEAN India | Hyundai | Kona Electric (Korea) | 2020 | LG Chem Ltd. | Lithium polymer battery |
| ASEAN India | Kia | Soul EV (Korea) | 2020 | Doowon Climate Control Co., Ltd. | Battery cooling chiller |
| ASEAN India | Maruti Suzuki | Ciaz (India) | 2020 | Toshiba Corp. | Lithium-ion battery |
| Americas | GM | GMC Hummer EV (USA) | 2022 | Ultium Cells LLC | Ultium battery cell |
| Americas | Lucid | Lucid Air (USA) | 2021 | LG Chem Ltd. | Lithium-ion battery |
| Americas | BMW | X3 xDrive30e (USA) | 2020 | Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. | Lithium-ion battery |
| China | FAW-Volkswagen | Volkswagen ID.4 CROZZ (China) | 2021 | CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) | Lithium-ion battery |
| China | SAIC Volkswagen | Volkswagen ID.4 X (China) | 2021 | CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) | Lithium-ion battery |
| China | BAIC BJEV | BJEV EU5 (China) | 2020 | Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (Jiangsu) | Three-dimensional lithium-ion battery |
| Europe | BMW | i4 (Germany) | 2021 | BMW | Lithium-ion battery (Assembly) |
| Europe | BMW | i4 (Germany) | 2021 | BMW | Battery system |
| Europe | BMW | i4 (Germany) | 2021 | CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.) | Lithium-ion battery cell |
| Japan | Suzuki | Solio Bandit Hybrid | 2021 | Toshiba Corp. | Lithium-ion battery |
| Japan | Suzuki | Solio Hybrid | 2021 | Toshiba Corp. | Lithium-ion battery |
| Japan | Daihatsu | Altis Hybrid | 2020 | Primearth EV Energy Co., Ltd. | Lithium-ion battery |
How to Recycle Batteries?
Recycling Batteries used in Electric vehicles is going to be a very important step for preserving the environment. Since Electric vehicle technology is new to the market so battery recycling infrastructure is yet to develop globally.
Battery recycling includes extracting important metals and other battery components, which can be reused.
There are two types of processes currently used for recycling, details of both processes are as follow :
Pyrometallurgical Process: This process involves smelting processing. Smelting takes place at high temperatures, and organic materials, including the electrolyte and carbon anodes, are burned as fuel or reductant. The valuable metals are recovered and sent to refining so that the product is suitable for any use.
Hydrometallurgical Process: In this process, batteries are first completely discharged and crushed in a shredder. While crushing vacuum environment is maintained in the shredder, to avoid any fire. At the other end of the shredder, we get a pile of granulated materials such as al, li, mg, etc. Then Al,cu, and plastic are separated from the internal parts of the battery, which leaves fine black powder. Then solvent extraction is done from that powder to separate out different metals, which can be used in the industry for various purposes.
FAQ
When to Replace an Electric Vehicle battery?
Consider replacing the battery with a new one if you note either of the following conditions:
The battery run time drops below about 80% of the original run time.
The battery charge time increases significantly.
Which battery is most suitable for a pure electric vehicle?
Since Energy density is highest in Li-ion batteries hence they are currently the most suitable option for pure electric vehicles.
Do Tesla cars explode?
There have been at least 14 instances of Tesla cars catching fire since 2013, with the majority occurring after a crash. The automaker has said its EVs are about 10 times less likely to experience a fire than petrol-powered cars, based on its fleet of more than 500,000 vehicles which have driven more than 10bn miles. (Source: TheGuardian)
Who Makes Batteries for Tesla?
Tesla relies heavily on Panasonic for all of its battery manufacturing and especially for its car batteries. Other electric car manufacturers are also making inroads.
Think ‘side letters’, contingent on the merger talking place…
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