CATL’s 1,000-km LFP EV battery super-charges at 1 km/sec

CATL made headlines around the globe last August when it presented the Shenxing battery, an LFP pack capable of adding 400 kilometers (249 miles) of range in a mere 10 minutes at the charger. Not a year later, and that pack’s powering actual cars. This… Continue reading CATL’s 1,000-km LFP EV battery super-charges at 1 km/sec

Why Pulse Current Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries Extends Their Useful Lifespan

Mechanisms of pulse current charging for stabilizing the cycling performance of commercial NMC/graphite LIBs. (Credit: Jia Guo et al., 2024)

For as much capacity lithium-ion batteries have, their useful lifespan is generally measured in the hundreds of cycles. This degradation is caused by the electrodes themselves degrading, including the graphite …read more Continue reading Why Pulse Current Charging Lithium-Ion Batteries Extends Their Useful Lifespan

Self-extinguishing lithium battery puts out its own fires

High-density lithium batteries hold vast amounts of energy – and when they drop their guts, they can do so in absolutely spectacular destructive fashion. So researchers have built fire extinguishing capabilities right into the cells themselves.Continue… Continue reading Self-extinguishing lithium battery puts out its own fires

A simple switch of tape could keep batteries from self-discharging

It never fails … you go to use a device that should be fully charged, but its battery has gone flat over time. Such may soon no longer be the case, however, if battery manufacturers simply start using a different type of adhesive tape.Continue ReadingC… Continue reading A simple switch of tape could keep batteries from self-discharging

Dangling strings slash the time and space needed for lithium harvesting

Although lithium can be found in hard mineral ores, it’s more often extracted from very salty (aka briny) groundwater. The latter task could soon be much quicker and eco-friendlier, thanks to a new string-based extraction technique.Continue ReadingCate… Continue reading Dangling strings slash the time and space needed for lithium harvesting

Stanford’s extra salty electrolyte makes for flameproof batteries

Researchers are working to improve battery technology in all kinds of ways, and among the most important is addressing the issue of flammability. Scientists have cooked up a new electrolyte recipe that tackles this in a highly promising way, leaning on… Continue reading Stanford’s extra salty electrolyte makes for flameproof batteries

New charging approach could extend battery life by at least 20%

The many cells that make up a lithium battery pack are not all equal; some will degrade and die faster than others. New research out of Stanford has found that the whole battery can live much longer if each cell gets an individual charging treatment.Co… Continue reading New charging approach could extend battery life by at least 20%