There were a few catcalls in the battery industry when Nissan adopted lithium-ion manganese oxide batteries for its new LEAF EV. The compact, five-door hatchback electric car looked good on paper and went on to sell over 400,000 and counting. But how would the batteries perform compared to proven lithium-ion technology? The boot seems to be on the other foot now writes Steven Loveday of INSIDE EVs. That’s because a LEAF battery could outlast the car by ten years.
Lithium-Ion Manganese Oxide vs. Conventional Lithium-Ion
Both types of battery cells use graphite carbon anodes. The main difference is therefore in the cathodes. Conventional lithium-ion uses a relatively expensive cobalt oxide one. While the LEAF’s lithium-ion manganese oxide cathode uses manganese dioxide instead.
Cathodes based on manganese-oxide components are earth-abundant, inexpensive, and non-toxic. They also provide better thermal stability according to Michael Makepeace Thackeray, battery materials scientist at Argonne. Environmentalists are wondering what to do with the abundant power after the LEAF battery begins to degrade.
Remarkable Performance by LEAF’s Manganese Dioxide Batteries
Nissan says although its lithium-ion manganese oxide batteries will gradually lose capacity they should have ten useful years. They should still retain 70 to 80% of their original 100 / 225-mile driving range at that point depending on the model. And therefore still be good as city hoppers.
Francisco Carranza managing director of Renault-Nissan Energy Services thinks they could still retain some power for a further 10 years. Although they could be ‘completely unusable by then’. The car maker told Automotive News, Nissan has several projects to use its lithium-ion batteries in applications outside of the car.
“A three-megawatt storage system using the equivalent of 148 leaf batteries is already operational at Amsterdam’s Arena soccer stadium. Our goal is providing more reliable and efficient energy supply, and usage in a variety of ways.”
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Preview Image: Nissan Leaf Battery Cutaway
