RAPID RECHARGE: Scientists tweaked a battery material to permit a super-quick flow of charge-carrying ions in and out.
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A new twist on the familiar lithium ion battery has yielded a type of power-storing material that charges and discharges at lightning speed. The finding could offer a boost for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles and possibly allow cell phone batteries to regain a full charge in seconds rather than hours.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) report in Nature today that they devised a way for lithium ions in a battery to zip in and out about 100 times faster than previously demonstrated. "We took a basically great material called lithium iron phosphate [LiFePO4] and we tried to improve it further," says study author Byoungwoo Kang, a graduate student in M.I.T.'s Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are small and light, yet can store copious amounts of energy, making them ideal for use in everyday electronic devices such as iPods and laptops. This valuable property, called energy density, can be scaled up for hybrid cars as well as for the all-electric Roadster built by Tesla Motors that relies on lithium ion batteries (6,831 individual cells) and the similarly powered Chevy Volt plug-in electric, about to hit the market.
One downside: lithium ion batteries do not dispense their charge—carried by lithium ions and electrons, hence the power source's name—very quickly compared with some other types of storage batteries. Like a huge auditorium that only has a few doors, getting a large volume of patrons (lithium ions) in and out is a drawn-out affair. This phenomenon explains why some electric vehicles (the rip-roaring $109,000 Tesla Roadster with its massive battery pack excluded) can reach high speeds, but they suffer from poor acceleration compared with the propulsive force unleashed by the rapid succession of mini explosions in an internal combustion engine. The slow exchange of ions also means lithium ion batteries recharge slowly—just think of how long you have to charge your tiny cell phone.
In an attempt to pick up the pace, the M.I.T. researchers coated the lithium iron phosphate material with an ion conductor, which in this case was a layer of glasslike lithium phosphate. Sure enough, the charge-carrying ions traveled much faster from their storage medium; a prototype battery the scientists built completely charged in about 10 to 20 seconds.
The results have impressed some battery experts. "I think this work is a really exciting breakthrough with clear commercial applications," says Yi Cui, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford University.
Two companies have already licensed the technology, according to Kang. Researchers are not sure how much these batteries will cost when they hit the market, but Kang says they should be reasonably priced, given that it should be relatively cheap to produce them.
The study notes that residences cannot draw enough energy from the electrical grid to quickly charge a hybrid car's battery containing the new material, though smaller batteries for gadgets and perhaps power tools should not have that catch. But future roadside plug-in stations (service stations selling electricity instead of gasoline) with greater power pull could do the trick for vehicles, Kang says.
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33 Comments
Add Comment"electric vehicles ... suffer from poor acceleration compared with the ... internal combustion engine."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisElectric motors have instant torque vs combustion engines which take time to rev up. The Tesla roadster accelerates to 60 mph in 4 secs from an engine weighing 14 pounds.
Also if LiIon batteries do not disperse their charge, how can the run electronics?
Altacus, the search term you need is "voltage sag" -- this will help:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://www.google.com/search?q="voltage+sag"+"lithium-ion"
The electric motor can suck electricity much faster than the old type lithium-ion cell can provide it. That's the point of the article here.
The emphasis in this article on discharge rate ("...poor acceleration...") is not the key factor in terms of viability for vehicle applications. *Recharge* rate is the big drawback until now of electric vs ICE vehicles.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI had to laugh when I read that lithium ion batteries store copious amounts of energy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLi-ion: .46mj/kg
Gasoline: 47mj/kg
Gasoline has over 100 times the energy density.
Back in the 80's I had an old Toyota, with an old battery. One day the battery died, so I jumped it from my other car. It wouldn't turn over, so I squeezed the jumper clamps to make sure they were making good contact. Suddenly, the current surged through the cables with a crackling noise, and the cables were almost red hot. I quickly pulled them off the bad battery. I got in the Toyota and turned the key. It started up instantly, the battery was fully charged. The whole charging process happened in a second. The next time I tried starting it, it was completely dead. Given this new research, I'm curious to know what process allowed that old lead-acid battery to charge instantly.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey are comparing it to other batteries and also the environmental cost for gasoline would out weigh the Benefits.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"I had to laugh when I read that lithium ion batteries store copious amounts of energy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLi-ion: .46mj/kg
Gasoline: 47mj/kg
Gasoline has over 100 times the energy density."
It is kinda laughable to call Li-Ion as storing "copious" amounts of energy, in comparison, but there is something just as important as how much is stored: How efficiently we can use it. It's great getting data into something very efficiently but useless if we have to waste most of it when we convert it into a different form.
Gasoline engines are about 20% efficient at converting that stored chemical energy into kinetic energy, whereas electric motors are around 80% efficient, according to the DOE, (47*.2) = 9.4mj/Kg of kinetic energy. The figures I've dug up for Li-Ion suggest at it's most it's capable of .72mj/Kg, which at 80% is .576mj/Kg of kinetic energy, leaving gasoline only 16x more space efficient. Which is still quite significant.
Getting data? bleurgh.. I meant getting energy. Brain fart.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf you change the connections to cause the batteries to charge faster, wouldn't that cause the batteries to utilize the energy faster. Thus causing battery life to be drained just as fast as it charged. How could you change connections without causing this effect? And wouldn't this also force all the energy in the battery to enter the electrical appliance at once and overload the circuit in the item?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSuperlosch, electric devices essentially "pull" electricity for use. This doesn't mean they do it at the same rate no matter what. I don't think this will make the batteries drain faster, but will make them be able to provide higher amounts of power more quickly. The real advantage is in the charging speed.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe article suggests that the home electrical socket will not be enough to instantaneously charge a car. However, if there was another battery in the home that charged itself as needed from the socket, and then dispersed it at high speed when the car was plugged into the device, it would get around that limitation. Just an idea.
I think this has great potential. I would like to see them increase capacity though. Speed is nice, but I want distance.
Nathaniel:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Tesla currently does 200 miles. If that could charge in 5 minutes, it's hardly a real problem. 200 miles would be a fair point at which to take a leak, stretch your legs or whatever.
Amazing break through, really.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this> what process allowed that old lead-acid battery to charge instantly.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt had almost no capacity remaining. It took about as much charge ais it could accept very quickly. You'll see this typically with rechargeables that are almost gone -- they go to "100 percent" really fast but that's because they really can't hold much at all by that time.
I very much suspect you had a loose connection, revealed when you pinched the clamps. The battery was already fully charged, just not actually hooked up.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLi-ion: .46mj/kg
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGasoline: 47mj/kg
May be so, however, an ICE is only about 20 percent efficient.
The internal combustion engine is only about 20 percent efficient when things are going WELL. When idling at the traffic light or accelerating at a point significantly different from its most-efficient rpm that engine actually does worse. Overall, in mixed usage an internal combustion engine is giving away a lot more than that. At about 750 watts per horsepower it becomes pretty apparent at just how much energy your car is not putting to good use.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd gasoline costs more.
Electrics avoid almost all waste in battery mode and even self-regenerators like the Volt will be able to optimize their internal combustion engine to a size and rpm that most efficiently recharges the vehicle. Given the topic of this article that engine will likely run for far less time as well since inbound resistance has been greatly reduced.
Maintenance will be significantly lower on the vehicle as well.
All in all it's a better solution, even if gasoline is the originator of the energy. Connecting an internal combustion engine directly to the wheels was discontinued in locomotives 60 years ago, and for good reason. This is just a better solution to the problem.
By the way,
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGasoline: 47mj/kg
How many times can you reuse that?
Sag.
>>>This valuable property, called energy density, can be scaled up for hybrid cars as well as for the all-electric Roadster built by Tesla Motors that relies on lithium ion batteries (6,831 individual cells) and the similarly powered Chevy Volt plug-in electric, about to hit the market.<<<<
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this(1) The Tesla Roadster is ALREADY on the market...
(2) The ChevyVolt is vapor-are: a stalking dummy that GM yacks about a lot to demonstrate how dedicated they are to "clean technology": they have been saying "next year sometime" for several years now: they have real trouble building a car that will get 40 miles on a charge, when you can buy a kit from any of several California outfits to turn a hybrid Prius into a plug-in electric. How come some engineers can do it in their garages and GM, with all its money and other resources can't???
>>>The study notes that residences cannot draw enough energy from the electrical grid to quickly charge a hybrid car's battery containing the new material, though smaller batteries for gadgets and perhaps power tools should not have that catch. But future roadside plug-in stations (service stations selling electricity instead of gasoline) with greater power pull could do the trick for vehicles, Kang says.<<<
I think Kang should really study some electrical engineering: especially power distribution. Yes, most homes today have 100 amp service, which would "limit" the charging rate: BUT, if you have electric heat (as many homes do) you have 400 amp service. If you want it just call your local power company and get a bid. P. S. If you have an electrically heated driveway to eliminate snow shoveling in the winter, as some do here in the north-east, you pretty much have to have 400 amp service...
Good article and outstanding technology! And I'm sure there will be more progress from the crew. From Tianjin China
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat this article and many posters are overlooking is not the impact on the existing market for these batteries but the ones that will be created due to this breakthrough.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThese new batteries are perfect for truck and train regenerative breaking.
Also for the new "hybrid" vertical lift aircraft which require a great deal of energy for lift off and landing.
With these even the "flying car" may be possible:) I hope not though, people cannot drive when they are firmly attached to the ground:)
Also, they may be used to steady out the power of alternative energy. Easing the spikes in wind power, keeping solar power producing after the sun goes down.
Of course only time will tell if the economics of it works out....
What this article and many posters are overlooking is not the impact on the existing market for these batteries but the ones that will be created due to this breakthrough.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThese new batteries are perfect for truck and train regenerative breaking.
Also for the new "hybrid" vertical lift aircraft which require a great deal of energy for lift off and landing.
With these even the "flying car" may be possible:) I hope not though, people cannot drive when they are firmly attached to the ground:)
Also, they may be used to steady out the power of alternative energy. Easing the spikes in wind power, keeping solar power producing after the sun goes down.
Of course only time will tell if the economics of it works out....
And, the point of EVs and PHEVs, is that they can be recharged. A tank of gas, once it is used, is gone forever. A battery that can be recharged a thousand times or more is, indeed, not comparable to a tank of gas.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf this technology works, it could revolutionise our economies and the way we live. These batteries could theoretically be used supplementally in just about anything that uses an internal combustion engine.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMickstery probably had a bad connection. By squeezing you fixed it temporarily.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhen that happened to me (glowing cables), I had the terminals hooked up backwards. it was exciting for a minute.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow is California getting 240 miles per charge with their new all electric car and charging it in 45 minutes from any home outlet? Maybe someone should be talking to the governor of California about their system. It sounds like instead of trying to find success for the electric car, the gas auto makers are finding excuses to prevent the electric car from entering the market. We also have a hockey puck size hydrogen fuel cell that can provide electricity to electric cars for thousands of miles before you have to charge it with water. Someone should talk to Allan Alda about that one, he hosted the show on alternative vehicles on PBS about two years ago.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSay we are recharging the 30 kWh battery in an electric vehicle. Old way: charge 3.8 kW for 8 hours. New way: for nine seconds draw 12 Megawatts. MY! Will that cause a brownout if two people do that at once in my house?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor the fellow who persists and compares gasoline to electrics - Just where in Hell are you going to get the gasoline? We are at the end of the "cheap oil Era" and struggling hard to replace it - not because it is a poor fuel, it is a very good fuel, but because continental U.S.A. doesnt have any more of it, an world politics and a sickly weak dollar indicate that gasoline will become a luxury, a very expensive luxury in the U.S.A. very soon - in a year or two! OPEC have already demanded $75.00 bbl, on threat to cut production until they get it, and to remind you about blackmailers, they always come back for more! Aside from turning the Middle East into a glazed over parking lot for Hummers, and stealing the oil there, we will soon pay like Hell for gasoline! There is not enough oil in the world if we got it all, for free, or by nuclear force, to sustain our current way of life - we are gas guzzlers to the max and the more we get the more we use! Nuclear/electric is the only way to satisfy our need for speed! Solar, Wind, Hydro, Tidal, and Geothermal can play a role, but never furnish the huge amounts we like to burn! We can cut back, go nuclear, add in Solar, Wind, Wave, Hydro, Tidal and geothermal and still not be satisfied and buy all the bio-diesel we can get! The fact remains: We are out of gasoline!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI can see how this would be helpful for quickly charging small devices that have few batteries, but wouldn't a large device (i.e. a car) be able to have enough batteries in parallel to supply enough power to the car? Or a large enough battery, with a small enough internal resistance?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAs time goes on, I'm hoping that they improve the lithium ion battery because i want to use my laptop for one day without charging it and some laptop user prefer that type where u can use your laptop as 5 to 10 hrs without charging it....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisto the instant charging toyota...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think you probably had a loose connection and the force you exerted checking the connection connected the battery. perhaps backwards yielding the big spark that caused you to disconnect it so quickly. then once it was reconnected it worked fine again
Not for long. Once you can stack 24 times the number of LiON atoms into a lattice using Silicon instead of Carbon then you are in great shape to make the combustion engine obsolete.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fact remains that by 2018 the Tesla will have a 1000+ mile range using batteries such as these:
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/01/28/nanoparticle-sets-world-record-for-battery-storage/
The key is getting 750 mile range. That's all day range and then you can charge over night on regular charging without even using a speed charger. Tesla will be there within 3 to 5 years using, for example, this new technology:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2013/01/28/nanoparticle-sets-world-record-for-battery-storage/