Batteries
Finding the economic balance of range against performance, energy density, and accumulator type versus cost challenges every EV manufacturer.
While most current highway-speed electric vehicle designs focus on lithium-ion and other lithium-based variants a variety of alternative batteries can also be used. Lithium based batteries are often chosen for their high power and energy density but have a limited shelf-life and cycle lifetime which can significantly increase the running costs of the vehicle. Variants such as Lithium iron phosphate and Lithium-titanate attempt to solve the durability issues with traditional lithium-ion batteries.
Other battery technologies include:
- Lead acid batteries are still the most used form of power for most of the electric vehicles used today. The initial construction costs are significantly lower than for other battery types, and while power output to weight is poorer than other designs, range and power can be easily added by increasing the number of batteries.
- NiCd - Largely superseded by NiMH
- Nickel metal hydride (NiMH)
- Nickel iron battery - Known for its comparatively long lifetime and low power density
Several battery technologies are also in development such as:
- Zinc-air battery
- Molten salt battery
- Zinc-bromine flow batteries or Vanadium redox batteries can be refilled, instead of recharged, saving time. The depleted electrolyte can be recharged at the point of exchange, or taken away to a remote station.
Read more about this topic: Electric Car
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