Olga
According to the news reports, the new product might give electric cars the same range, as a full tank of gas, Joinfo.ua reports with the reference to AutoExpress.
The “super battery” was revealed by the scientists at the University of Cambridge. It is believed that the new product will have surpassed the battery, that currently has held back the development of electric vehicles.
The lithium-oxygen battery has 10 times the energy density of the lithium-ion batteries currently used, meaning the battery technology would allow vehicles to approach similar range and usability as a conventional internal combustion engine.
Another key issue electric and plug-in vehicles currently face is the high cost of developing lithium-ion batteries, and the extra weight they add to the cars. The cost to replace a battery on a normal electric car exceeds £3,000.
Not only will the lithium-oxygen battery be five times cheaper to develop, scientists say it will be five times lighter, too. The high energy density also helps it to achieve 93 per cent efficiency.
The only drawback, however, is that the technology is still at least a decade away from reaching the production lines – according Clare Grey, the Cambridge professor who led the research. While successful in the laboratory, the system is still not charging and discharging at high enough levels.
It should be recalled that two days ago at Tokyo Motor Show 2015, Toyota presented FCV Plus Concept. The radical concept features a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain, which is also capable of generating electricity for local communities as a portable power station.
