4th August 2023
Written by Mitchell LakinThe Rapid Growth of EV Batteries
As we charge towards Net Zero by 2050, sustainability will continue to grow to the highest priority. It is no surprise that electric and hybrid vehicle registrations have grown from 0.4% to 23% in just 7 years. However, one of the key components of electric vehicles (EVs) is their lithium-ion batteries. Even now, over 10 years into EVs’ breakthrough to everyday life, the sustainability, safety and life of EV batteries remain hot topics for discussion. Below, we will break down what exactly EV batteries are, what happens after their life inside a vehicle and what their future is looking like as of 2023.
How Are They Different From Other Batteries?
EV batteries are far from those found in TV remotes and household items. However, they do share many similarities with the lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones and laptops. Of course, the batteries found within vehicles are much larger; so much that they pack over 2,000 lithium-ion cells. This is one of the reasons why they are expected to retain their capacity of 100,000 to 200,000 miles.
One of the main questions asked by drivers who are on the fence of making the switch is, if the newest form of EVs – those with the current batteries – have only been on the roads for a few years, then how reliable are these figures? This query plays into one of the biggest obstacles for future EV drivers: range anxiety. Just 10 years ago, EV batteries had to be disposed of after “3 to 4 years of use, according to Mr Goh of Se-cure Waste Singapore. However, manufacturers are so confident of their batteries’ range that EVs now possess an 8-year warranty, with a covered mileage sometimes pushing over 120,000 (in the Hyundai Ioniq’s case).
After Eight Years – Second Life
After 8 years or more, when the battery is no longer able to efficiently power an EV, it is more than adequate for a good number of other uses. When the battery drops to a performance of 70% or less, it enters its ‘second life’.
With a bit of setup, the owner of the EV can make use of their old battery by fitting it into a place in their home – such as a shed or garage – for it to be used as a battery storage unit for renewable energy sources. For example, excess energy gathered from a house’s solar panels can be automatically transferred to this battery for later use, like nighttime or when electricity is in high demand. This is not only a method of saving money but also making a house’s energy usage more sustainable to boost its market value.
There is also a plethora of second life options available for businesses and corporations, such as powering anything from manufacturing plants and streets to store primary or excess power. Battery manufacturers have an eventual goal of closing the loop of their production by using second life batteries to power the construction of new ones. As well as this, there have been a number of examples where old car batteries are used for battery storage systems. To name an early example, in 2018, Nissan utilized retired EV batteries to install back-up power for Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, which broke the record for the biggest system of its kind in Europe.
Next Life – Are EV Batteries Recycled?
In short, yes. As well as having a number of options for reusing a battery after its 8-year warranty, there is also the option of recycling. During this, the battery is ‘graded’, a process of identifying which bits are going for spare parts, which are suitable for second life and finally those suitable for recycling. One of the biggest obstacles in this process is the expensive and time-consuming restraints but, as the driving world is quickly becoming electric, more and more players are looking to improve its progression. A partnership with Nissan and University of Warwick, for example discovered a new fast process that cut down the original 3-hour grading time to an incredible 3 minutes.
In 2023, the recycling of batteries is being pushed by major players such as two leading Singapore recycling companies. Firstly, TES Singapore – whose main focus is on the batteries of mobile technology – is moving over to EV battery recycling with another new plant exclusively built for this purpose. Their current plant in Tuas recycles over 152 tonnes of batteries from EV and hybrid vehicles and the next is set for even more. Se-cure Waste are soon following suit and acquiring land to build their new battery recycling plant.
Looking to the Future
With just some of the examples mentioned in this article, it is clear that EV batteries and the innovations to accommodate them are rapidly advancing. As we near Net Zero by 2050 and – closer still – the ban of fossil-fuel vehicle production in 2030, manufacturers are constantly pushing for smaller, cheaper, more efficient batteries.
The biggest contender of change for the near future is the advent of solid-state batteries. Most recently, Toyota have been pushing a potential breakthrough that could offer over 900 miles on a single charge. With the Japanese motor company having produced the first ever hybrid – the Prius – it is not farfetched to suggest Toyota could be the innovators of the next revolutionary technology. These solid-state batteries differ from the current lithium-ion batteries that offer a number of benefits like quicker charging times, slower degradation and significantly longer charges. Although developments are rapidly growing, the current hurdle lies with the expenses of producing these batteries and the difficulties in finding the materials to engineer them.
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) is the next revolutionary technology that will expand the benefit of EV batteries even further by enabling owners to make money just by owning an EV chargepoint. To learn more about this budding technology, visit our V2G article.
To keep updated on our latest news regarding installations, EV developments and more articles like this, follow us on:
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The Rapid Growth of EV Batteries
As we charge towards Net Zero by 2050, sustainability will continue to grow to the highest priority. It is no surprise that electric and hybrid vehicle registrations have grown from 0.4% to 23% in just 7 years. However, one of the key components of electric vehicles (EVs) is their lithium-ion batteries. Even now, over 10 years into EVs’ breakthrough to everyday life, the sustainability, safety and life of EV batteries remain hot topics for discussion. Below, we will break down what exactly EV batteries are, what happens after their life inside a vehicle and what their future is looking like as of 2023.
How Are They Different From Other Batteries?
EV batteries are far from those found in TV remotes and household items. However, they do share many similarities with the lithium-ion batteries found in smartphones and laptops. Of course, the batteries found within vehicles are much larger; so much that they pack over 2,000 lithium-ion cells. This is one of the reasons why they are expected to retain their capacity of 100,000 to 200,000 miles.
One of the main questions asked by drivers who are on the fence of making the switch is, if the newest form of EVs – those with the current batteries – have only been on the roads for a few years, then how reliable are these figures? This query plays into one of the biggest obstacles for future EV drivers: range anxiety. Just 10 years ago, EV batteries had to be disposed of after “3 to 4 years of use, according to Mr Goh of Se-cure Waste Singapore. However, manufacturers are so confident of their batteries’ range that EVs now possess an 8-year warranty, with a covered mileage sometimes pushing over 120,000 (in the Hyundai Ioniq’s case).
After Eight Years – Second Life
After 8 years or more, when the battery is no longer able to efficiently power an EV, it is more than adequate for a good number of other uses. When the battery drops to a performance of 70% or less, it enters its ‘second life’.
With a bit of setup, the owner of the EV can make use of their old battery by fitting it into a place in their home – such as a shed or garage – for it to be used as a battery storage unit for renewable energy sources. For example, excess energy gathered from a house’s solar panels can be automatically transferred to this battery for later use, like nighttime or when electricity is in high demand. This is not only a method of saving money but also making a house’s energy usage more sustainable to boost its market value.
There is also a plethora of second life options available for businesses and corporations, such as powering anything from manufacturing plants and streets to store primary or excess power. Battery manufacturers have an eventual goal of closing the loop of their production by using second life batteries to power the construction of new ones. As well as this, there have been a number of examples where old car batteries are used for battery storage systems. To name an early example, in 2018, Nissan utilized retired EV batteries to install back-up power for Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, which broke the record for the biggest system of its kind in Europe.
Next Life – Are EV Batteries Recycled?
In short, yes. As well as having a number of options for reusing a battery after its 8-year warranty, there is also the option of recycling. During this, the battery is ‘graded’, a process of identifying which bits are going for spare parts, which are suitable for second life and finally those suitable for recycling. One of the biggest obstacles in this process is the expensive and time-consuming restraints but, as the driving world is quickly becoming electric, more and more players are looking to improve its progression. A partnership with Nissan and University of Warwick, for example discovered a new fast process that cut down the original 3-hour grading time to an incredible 3 minutes.
In 2023, the recycling of batteries is being pushed by major players such as two leading Singapore recycling companies. Firstly, TES Singapore – whose main focus is on the batteries of mobile technology – is moving over to EV battery recycling with another new plant exclusively built for this purpose. Their current plant in Tuas recycles over 152 tonnes of batteries from EV and hybrid vehicles and the next is set for even more. Se-cure Waste are soon following suit and acquiring land to build their new battery recycling plant.
Looking to the Future
With just some of the examples mentioned in this article, it is clear that EV batteries and the innovations to accommodate them are rapidly advancing. As we near Net Zero by 2050 and – closer still – the ban of fossil-fuel vehicle production in 2030, manufacturers are constantly pushing for smaller, cheaper, more efficient batteries.
The biggest contender of change for the near future is the advent of solid-state batteries. Most recently, Toyota have been pushing a potential breakthrough that could offer over 900 miles on a single charge. With the Japanese motor company having produced the first ever hybrid – the Prius – it is not farfetched to suggest Toyota could be the innovators of the next revolutionary technology. These solid-state batteries differ from the current lithium-ion batteries that offer a number of benefits like quicker charging times, slower degradation and significantly longer charges. Although developments are rapidly growing, the current hurdle lies with the expenses of producing these batteries and the difficulties in finding the materials to engineer them.
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) is the next revolutionary technology that will expand the benefit of EV batteries even further by enabling owners to make money just by owning an EV chargepoint. To learn more about this budding technology, visit our V2G article.
To keep updated on our latest news regarding installations, EV developments and more articles like this, follow us on:
Facebook: Car Charged UK
Instagram: Car_Chargeduk
Twitter: CarChargedUK
Linkedin: car-charged-uk