Automotive & motorsport
Batteries are the weak link in the sustainability chain
Electric vehicles (EVs) have been heralded as the answer to transportation’s sustainability issues, providing a scalable solution for the notoriously difficult- to-decarbonise sector. However, there’s one key component that needs some work if EVs are to become a completely sustainable method of transport - the battery. Here, Simone Bruckner, managing director of automotive resistor manufacturer Cressall, investigates the dark side of EV batteries.
T
he electrification of the automotive market is a necessary step to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ward off
climate change’s consequences. Every automaker is in support of the rollout, with more affordable models being released by the day to encourage consumers to make the electric shift. At the same time, governments are enforcing change through legislation that bans the sale of new fossil fuelled vehicles from as early as 2025. The urgency of the climate crisis and looming
legislation changes has resulted in the exponential growth of the EV market. A recent McKinsey report estimates that by 2035, the three largest automotive markets - the European Union, United States and China - will be fully electric. However, while driving an EV is ‘zero emission’, an unsustainable secret hides in production.
THE proBlEm wiTH BaTTEriES Traditional diesel and petrol-powered vehicles benefit from lead-acid batteries, which are widely recyclable. However, the same can’t be said for EVs, which use lithium-ion batteries instead. Typically made from raw materials including cobalt, nickel and manganese, lithium-ion batteries are extremely expensive to produce and require high levels of mining activity. Mining raw materials can lead to huge
environmental destruction, releasing elements into the atmosphere that can contaminate soils and disrupt entire ecosystems. Furthermore,
lithium-ion batteries are significantly more challenging to recycle, contributing to further environmental damage if improperly disposed of at the end of their life. Aside from environmental devastation, lithium-
ion batteries are also in short supply. Battery production capacity across the globe is expected to increase twenty-fold, but this won’t be enough to meet the expected future demand. Although several industry players are
developing recycling methods and reducing the reliance on raw materials, any significant progress is far off. For now, to ensure demand is met and improve the output for using these materials, it is important for automakers to consider how they can make existing batteries last longer.
ExTEnding lifESpan Automotive design engineers should consider the benefits that regenerative braking can bring in extending lithium-ion battery lifespan. A study by the Institute for Electrical Energy Storage Technology concluded that a higher level of regenerative braking usually reduces battery ageing by reducing lithium plating. Lithium plating refers to the accumulation of
metallic lithium on the battery’s anodes, which can cause irreversible damage over time and significantly reduce battery lifespan. Lithium plating is exacerbated long charging periods, but regenerative braking can help to alleviate this issue. Regenerative braking occurs when an EV
recovers energy while decelerating by using its electric motor as an electric generator and converting kinetic energy into electrical energy.
28 February 2022 Instrumentation Monthly
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