Things often return to the point from where they came from, when we apply irreconcilable goals. Take phone batteries for example. We can’t have much thinner batteries without jettisoning capacity. Now Design News thinks we will have to trade shorter electric car battery lives if we want fast charging ones. Moreover, nickel chemistries will exact their own toll too.
Battery Degradation: The Cause of Shorter Electric Car Battery Lives
Barenberg Bank’s Asad Farid has been chatting with Charles Murray of Design News at the Battery Show. Farid thinks these new gen batteries will last only five years at best, which is not good news for financial electric transport justification.
“We think the battery degradation rate in your electric car will increase rather than decrease going forward,” he explains. This is a shocker for all those who expected other batteries to outclass Tesla’s big, actively cooled lithium-ion battery packs. They may be similar to early Nissan EV’s that experienced 20% degradation after five to six years driving.
More Electric Vehicle Challenges Causing Consumer Anxiety
Three Reasons for Shorter Car Battery Life Expectancy
There are three main reasons why we can expect shorter electric car battery lives. In the first instance, high-nickel cell chemistries degrade faster than lithium-ion-phosphate ones as used in China.
Secondly, faster charging rates generate heat that can cause cathodes and anodes to degrade faster and the effect can be semi-exponential. Finally, Asad Farid believes passive air-cooling systems cause double the damage of liquid-cooled batteries. This runs counter to the warranties of some electric car manufacturers. We predict some sparks of the other kind will fly, if Farid’s assessment comes true.
Manufacturers are working to mitigate against shorter electric car battery lives. Consumers may be wise to forgo fast-charging electric cars in the interim. The same way they should not hammer their bodies too hard when they are young and strong.
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Are You Shortening Your Electric Car Battery Life
Preview Image: Tesla Model S at a Supercharger Station
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