Many of us would love to own a shiny red sports car, or a beach house for our home. Although we have mostly learned to adapt to what is possible at this point in our lives. Reporter Raúl Limón turns the spotlight on electric vehicles, while pondering over more practical batteries in El Pais Economy and Business. Do you think he might have a point?
Unstoppable Demand Nudging Us To More Practical Batteries
The El Pais Economy and Business reporter is concerned about what he calls unstoppable demand for raw battery materials. We are demanding more home and portable devices, he says, while expecting electric cars with six-hundred-mile driving ranges. At the same time, the drive to decarbonize electricity is accelerating demands on battery production.
“There are not enough lithium, cobalt and nickel ions to satisfy everyone’s needs,” John Abou-Rjeily told Limón. The Tiamat Energy researcher is investigating the still largely-untapped potential of sodium as a battery charge carrier, although it does not compete with lithium:
- Sodium is a bulkier material than lithium per unit of charge. It is not suitable for small devices.
- Sodium cannot compete with lithium in terms of the driving-range-per-charge the market expects.
But Do These Issues Really Rule Sodium Out Completely?
Limón believes this is not necessarily the case in terms of cheaper, more practical batteries within range of everybody’s pocket. As researcher Abou-Rjeily explains, I would never challenge the 500-mile-plus driving range of lithium-ion batteries. But this type of sodium-ion could be more competitive for short and medium distances by car.
Simple changes in perceptions like these could bring decarbonisation closer, and make it more achievable in poorer communities. These represent the vast majority of people living on the planet. Do you agree that more practical batteries make sense, and do you think researcher Abou-Rjeily might have a point?
More Information
Electric Vehicle Range – Auxiliary Factors
U.S. Sodium-Ion Battery Manufacture Begins
