Researchers at Cambridge University with its famous Mathematicians Bridge, claim to have taken a quantum leap forward with high energy density, lithium-oxygen batteries. They say their design is more than 90% efficient, and they have already recharged it 2,000 times.
Lithium-oxygen technology uses oxidation of lithium at the anode and reduction of oxygen at the cathode to induce a current flow. Since the 1970’s, researchers have thought this could produce specific energy comparable with gasoline, but lacked the technology to achieve it.
The Cambridge University Lithium-Oxygen Model
The Cambridge scientists have developed a highly porous, fluffy carbon electrode made from graphene sheets a single atom thick. They point out that their battery is still at the experimental stage, and could take ten years to get to market.
What This Development Could Mean for Tesla
The thousand-pound-weight lithium-ion batteries on the Tesla S-1 cost $30,000 each and max out after 305 miles. This could stretch to a theoretical 405 if driving continuously downhill and using the regenerative braking system.
Converting to lithium-oxygen could theoretically lower battery cost to $6,000, and bring the S-1 into the same price range as Lexus, Daimler-Benz, and BMW. If Tesla chose to keep the same battery weight, the S-1 could travel as far as 1,450 miles between recharging.
More Possibilities for Lithium-Oxygen Technology
This is a significant advance in battery technology, and the sustainability of electric transport. Possible knock-ons include phones to talk on all day long, and laptops that keep going longer. Of course, this is early days still.
As Dr. Tao Liu from the Department of Chemistry says, “There’s still a lot of work to do. But what we’ve seen here suggests that there are ways to solve these problems. Maybe we’ve just got to look at things a little differently.” This is dramatic stuff. We could be on the verge of something big.
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