Electric cars with a range of 130 miles soon a reality

ELECTRIC CARS

Significantly increased range and energy density on another level. Porsche believes that in the not-too-distant future, their electric cars will have performance that makes today’s technology appear obsolete.

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In the segment with more luxurious cars, electrification has not gained the same foothold as elsewhere. One reason often given by the manufacturers is that things like charging times and range are not at the right level. Porsche, which has certainly already launched the Taycan electric car, is working hard to develop next-generation battery technology and believes that it is well on its way to taking an important step.

The German manufacturer says that they are working on developing anode materials and that silicon is the hottest thing right now.

– Pure lithium is the ideal anode material when it comes to energy density. But for safety reasons, graphite is primarily used to absorb lithium ions, Stefanie Edelberg, battery expert at Porsche, in a statement.

– However, silicon anodes would provide significantly improved total capacity in lithium-ion batteries. Silicon exhibits the second highest storage capacity by weight after lithium, which means cells can achieve very high energy density. In addition, it is the second most common element in the earth’s crust, says Falko Schappacher, technical director at the Meet battery research center at the University of Münster, in the same press release.

Not entirely unproblematic with silicon

However, there is a big problem. When silicon absorbs lithium, it expands up to 300 percent, which in a battery system would mean great mechanical stress.

– The biggest advantage in terms of energy density is obtained when using pure silicon as active material, but then you also have the biggest downside when it comes to lifespan, says Stefanie Edelberg.

That is why Porsche has chosen to set the bar on anodes that consist of 80 percent silicon, and to further improve the batteries, they are looking at increasing the proportion of nickel in the cathode.

All in all: new anode chemistry, increased nickel inclusion in the cathode and development of the packaging design of battery cells, so Porsche expects to be able to achieve 1,300 km in a vehicle.

– I think we will see a 30 to 50 percent increase in range in premium vehicles in the future, says Falko Schappacher.

Just like many others, Porsche also works with batteries with solid electrolyte. This is still more lab product than reality, however, the hopes for the technology are high. In addition to the fact that they are expected to have up to 50 percent higher energy density than ordinary lithium ion batteries, the fast charging capacity is also something that is often highlighted.

Precisely the latter will be important as fast chargers develop and cope with ever higher effects.