<p>Electric vehicles, <a href="https://futurism.com/by-2040-you-wont-be-able-to-buy-a-non-electric-vehicle-in-these-nations/">many believe</a>, will save the planet, and the humans that live on it. But that only if making them doesn&#8217;t decimate it (and us) first. How&#8217;s a car owner to choose?</p>
<p>Most traditional cars run on lead-acid batteries. Lead-acid batteries are fairly cheap, perform well in cold temperatures, and don&#8217;t put drivers at risk if they&#8217;re not charged properly.</p>
<p>But there&#8217;s something sinister at play. One of the reasons lead-acid batteries are so much cheaper is because they&#8217;re recyclable. But that process comes with its own host of problems. It&#8217;s often workers in developing countries doing the recycling, using highly unsafe methods, as a recent investigation into a spate of debilitating — and even fatal — <a href="https://qz.com/1231792/a-battery-recycling-plant-owned-by-indian-businessmen-caused-a-lead-poisoning-crisis-in-kenya/">lead poisonings in Kenya</a> showed. Wealthier nations like the U.S. have laws that require more careful (and, therefore, more expensive) processing for these batteries. So instead <a href="http://www.okinternational.org/lead-batteries/Recycling">they export them</a> to places with fewer regulations, causing workers to suffer.</p>
<p>So some automakers have shifted to lithium-ion batteries. Primarily used in electric cars, these batteries are lighter and can store a charge longer, but they&#8217;re much more expensive ($1700 per battery, compared to $120 for a top-end lead-acid battery, according <a href="https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/videos/a18350/lithium-batteries-not-just-for-hybrids/">to <em>Road and Track</em></a>). And if they get damaged, the highly reactive lithium inside can, well, explode. Not ideal.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_cLXy9sw4KM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Lithium-ion cells also rely on a limited supply of rare-earth metals, which are <a href="https://www.wired.com/2016/03/teslas-electric-cars-might-not-green-think/">environmentally hazardous to mine</a>. Workers, including illegal child laborers, operate under <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/">harsh conditions</a> to produce them.</p>
<p>That leaves the conscientious car owner with an impossible choice. Do you buy the electric vehicle to minimize your carbon footprint but with the knowledge of the human suffering and environmental damage it takes to make it?</p>
<p>What we really need, if EVs are going to become truly widespread, is a new kind of battery.</p>
<p>There seem to be plenty of candidates, from the much-hyped but not-yet-realized<a href="https://futurism.com/massachusetts-solid-state-battery-company/"> solid state batteries</a>, to <a href="https://futurism.com/charge-devices-seconds/">rapidly-charging supercapacitors</a>, or even batteries that run <a href="https://futurism.com/proton-battery/">on just carbon and water</a>. Indeed, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/1a55e3f6-2849-11e8-b27e-cc62a39d57a0">according to <em>Financial Times</em></a>, venture capitalists have already invested a record $1 billion in advancing next-generation battery technology in 2018. That&#8217;s already double that of 2017, and we&#8217;re three months into the year.</p>
<p>But none of these battery concepts is mature enough to even come close to powering something like a car. To be viable alternatives, they&#8217;ll need a lot more development, time, and money. In the meantime, though, lithium-ion batteries have still gotten the most funding over the past two years, <em>Financial Times</em> reports, because investors already know they work.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s not going to push the technology forward. For green technology to become widespread, experts believe advanced batteries are <a href="https://futurism.com/experts-batteries-will-meet-increasing-energy-storage-needs-in-5-years/">one of the biggest needs</a>. If we&#8217;re going to cross that threshold, we&#8217;ve gotta break away from what has worked in the past.</p>


If electric cars are the future, we had better figure out how to reduce the environmental and human cost of their batteries.

Electric vehicles are the future, but their batteries are stuck in the past

Advanced Transport

Lithium-ion and lead-acid car batteries have serious environmental and human costs. If electric vehicles are going to dominate, we need an alternative.

Electric Vehicles Are the Future, but Their Batteries Are Stuck in the Past

Unsustainable materials. Dangerous work conditions. We need better car batteries to power our future.

<h2>New Investments</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.axios.com/global-tech-giants-massachusetts-battery-startup-73a5f93a-f960-449e-ac22-da3ee30d93f5.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosscience&amp;stream=science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to </a><i><a href="https://www.axios.com/global-tech-giants-massachusetts-battery-startup-73a5f93a-f960-449e-ac22-da3ee30d93f5.html?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosscience&amp;stream=science" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios</a>, </i>technology giants like Samsung and Dyson have collectively invested $65 million in <a href="http://ionicmaterials.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Massachusetts-based Ionic Materials</a>. This enormous vote of confidence is a bit shocking, as most people probably haven&#8217;t even heard of the small company before. But if Ionic Materials delivers on its recent claims, the investment will certainly pay off. It claims to be close to creating a safe, working solid-state battery.</p>
<p>The company, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=273588110">established in 1986</a>, seems to be making unique progress in solid-state technology. It has created a brand new material — a liquid crystal polymer — that could solve many of the pressing issues that prevent this type of battery from entering the market.</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CuwqGj3UAHE?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>So far, Ionic Materials&#8217; researchers have claimed three major breakthroughs. First, they assert that lithium ions move as fast or even faster through their polymer than they would through a conventional liquid electrolyte system. This seems counter-intuitive since <a href="https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/clocks-watches/difference-between-quartz-and-liquid-crystal.htm">the polymer is a solid</a>, but if it is true, this would clear a huge hurtle to creating working solid-state batteries.</p>
<p>Second, they say that their material works at an impressive five volts and can be made simply and cheaply. Third, they&#8217;ve stated that, while most materials in solid-state research operate at about 60° C (140° F), their material works under much cooler conditions — room temperature.</p>
<h2>Solid State</h2>
<p>Ionic Materials seems to have a leg up on competitors with its unique, cheap, and simple-to-produce material. But, if they are correct in their assertions, <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-solid-state-battery-toyota-dyson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">why would a solid-state battery be so groundbreaking</a>?</p>
<p>They are safer than current batteries, for one thing. <a href="https://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i46/Solid-state-batteries-inch-way.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lithium-ion batteries are flammable</a> and prone to overheating and combustion. Solid-state batteries, on the other hand, preserve lithium in a non-flammable state.</p>
<figure style="width: 777px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="wp-image-125588 size-large aligncenter" src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2018/03/electriccarr-1200x716.jpg" alt="Electric cars could be much more efficient with solid-state batteries. Image Credit: Joenomias / Pixabay" width="777" height="400" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Electric cars could be much more efficient with solid-state batteries. Image Credit: Joenomias / Pixabay</figcaption></figure>
<p><a href="https://futurism.com/battery-charges-one-minute-beat-tesla-race-tomorrows-clean-car/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Solid-state batteries </a>are also able to be smaller, cheaper to make, and higher capacity than liquid-based batteries. They could potentially charge faster, last longer, and have better overall performance. They could even make<a href="https://futurism.com/the-future-of-batteries-solid-state-structure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> better smartphones and electric cars possible</a>.</p>
<p>The main challenge to realizing solid-state batteries has been discovering a material with all of the right properties. <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/40453858/can-ionic-materials-design-a-rechargeable-battery-that-unseats-the-lithium-ion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">If Ionic Materials is right </a>and their polymer is the one to beat, we could be closer to solid-state batteries than ever before. Still, the company has not released much data on their technology, so many experts remain skeptical of how close the researchers actually are to a working product, according to <em>Axios</em>.</p>


Tech giants recently invested $65 million in the company.

A Massachusetts company claims to be close to a solid-state battery

Earth & Energy

Could we finally be close to having a solid-state battery? One small Massachusetts company claims that their new material may unlock this technology.

A Massachusetts Company Claims to Be Close to a Solid-State Battery

A new polymer could be the key to safer, better batteries.

<h2>A 94-Year-Old Invents Again</h2>
<p>From powering electric cars to charging that smartphone you&#8217;re holding — the lithium-ion battery has grown to be one of the most commonly used batteries in the world. But one of its inventors, John Goodenough, has decided it&#8217;s time to upgrade.</p>
<p>Goodenough, who serves as a professor at the <a href="http://www.engr.utexas.edu/">Cockrell School of Engineering</a> of the University of Texas at Austin, has led a team of engineers to develop an entirely solid-state battery that could revolutionize how we use devices. The study behind the battery can be found in a paper recently published in the journal<em> <a href="http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2017/EE/C6EE02888H#!divAbstract">Energy &amp; Environmental Science</a></em>.</p>
<p>So what does this battery have to offer? The newly developed battery touts safety, faster-charging, and more recharge cycles. The battery can replace the current lithium-ion batteries found in handheld mobile devices, electric cars, and stationary energy storage. The new battery has <i>three times</i> the energy density of today&#8217;s batteries, meaning that it would give electric cars  a greater range, recharge mobile devices in just minutes rather than hours, and would last much longer than its predecessor.</p>
<p><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2017/03/Gravity_Hil_V3-1200x1803.jpg" alt="*3* Creator of Lithium-Ion Battery May Spell the End-times for Oil with New Glass Battery" /></p>
<p>Unlike today&#8217;s batteries that use liquid electrolytes to transport the lithium ions, the new battery uses glass electrolytes instead. This reduces the risk of <a href="http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2013/12/17/roots-of-the-lithium-battery/">forming dendrites</a>, whisker-like pieces of lithium that can grow within older models of batteries if they are charged too quickly, causing explosions and fires — <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/dot-bans-all-samsung-galaxy-note7-phones-airplanes">similar to what we saw with Samsung Note 7</a>.</p>
<h2>Seawater: The Birthplace of Tomorrow&#8217;s Batteries?</h2>
<p>The glass electrolytes opened up new possibilities for the team of inventors. Rather than relying on lithium-ions, Goodenough&#8217;s team was able to use a low-costing alternative — sodium.</p>
<p>With sodium ions readily available from sea salt, the team excited to design a new generation of batteries can be produced with earth-friendly materials, making the battery cheaper and, by extension, more accessible. Goodenough is currently working with battery makers to test the team&#8217;s work further, <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/renewables/does-new-glass-battery-accelerate-the-end-of-oil">but he is confident in the work</a>.</p>


Hard Science

A new battery uses glass and sodium to hold more power, provide longer charges, and last longer than the lithium-ion batteries we currently use.

Remarkable New Battery Can Hold Three Times as Much Energy

And it won’t make your phone explode, either.

<h2>SolidEnergy</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.solidenergysystems.com/">SolidEnergy Systems</a>, a company founded by MIT alumnus Qichao Hu who also serves as the company’s CEO, has announced that will soon make a rechargeable lithium metal battery with double the current capacity of those available today commercially available.</p>
<figure style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img src="https://wp-assets.futurism.com/2016/08/MIT-Solid-Energy-Systems_0.jpg" width="640" height="379" /><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Image: SolidEnergy Systems</figcaption></figure>
<p>“With two-times the energy density, we can make a battery half the size, but that still lasts the same amount of time, as a lithium ion battery. Or we can make a battery the same size as a lithium ion battery, but now it will last twice as long,” <a href="http://news.mit.edu/2016/lithium-metal-batteries-double-power-consumer-electronics-0817">says Hu</a>, who also co-invented the novel battery at MIT.</p>
<p>Their product is an “anode-free” lithium metal battery that is twice as energy-dense, making it perfect for most consumer electronics such as smartphones, wearables and even electrics cars or drones.</p>
<h2>Battery Life</h2>
<p>Batteries today typically use the anode material graphite. To double the battery capacity, SolidEnergy swaps this with a thin, high-energy lithium-metal foil that can hold more ions.<span style="line-height: 1.42857">A few chemical modifications also allows their product to be safer and because it requires existing lithium ion manufacturing equipment to produce, the product is also scalable. </span></p>
<p>A prototype was unveiled back in October 2015, which prompted interest and support from investors, amounting to over $12 million.</p>
<p>The battery will be applied to drones first by November this year and could be available for smartphones and wearables by 2017. The company is also targeting use for electric cars by 2018.</p>


SolidEnergy plans to make "holy grail of batteries"--a lithium metal battery with twice as much capacity than any available today. The company plans for their technology to be commercially available soon.

New Battery Breakthrough Could Double Your Smartphone’s Life

Maybe now we can actually get a full day out of our phones.

<h5>A Better Way to get Power</h5>
<p>Researchers from Stanford University have unveiled their latest battery technology—a lithium-ion battery that can automatically turn itself on and off depending on its temperature.</p>
<p>This battery is ultimately the first of its kind, and it could help to reduce the number of incidents that are typically associated with battery use today, such as fires and even explosions. More practically, it can help to prolong the life of the battery.</p>
<p>These findings were recently published in <em><a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/nenergy20159">Nature.</a></em></p>
<p>&#8220;People have tried different strategies to solve the problem of accidental fires in lithium-ion batteries,&#8221; <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2016/pr-safe-battery-toggle-011116.html">said Zhenan Bao</a>, a professor of chemical engineering at Stanford. &#8220;We&#8217;ve designed the first battery that can be shut down and revived over repeated heating and cooling cycles without compromising performance.&#8221;</p>
<p>You can learn more about the new tech in the video below:</p>
<p><iframe width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mk7DHn_DxUw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<h5>Working With Nanotechnology</h5>
<p>When discussing the research behind the work, the team asserts that it all came down to determining how to regulate temperature: &#8220;We attached the polyethylene film to one of the battery electrodes so that an electric current could flow through it,&#8221; said Zheng Chen, lead author of the study. &#8220;To conduct electricity, the spiky particles have to physically touch one another. But during thermal expansion, polyethylene stretches. That causes the particles to spread apart, making the film nonconductive so that electricity can no longer flow through the battery.&#8221;</p>
<p>This allows them to tune the temperature higher or lower in instances where you want the battery to shut down at a particular temperature.</p>
<p>Compared to other studies, this approach offers a more reliable way of achieving the battery’s maximum performance while also improving on its safety.</p>


Robots & Machines

This new battery technology could potentially end the hassles of overheating batteries and related fires. 

New Battery From Stanford Can Turn Itself On and Off

<h5>Tesla Gigafactory</h5>
<p>With construction on the Gigafactory (Tesla’s $5 billion lithium-ion battery factory) well ahead of schedule, the company announced that it has already begun production for Tesla’s Powerpacks and Powerwalls at the facility. Manufacturing for their energy products line was moved from Fremont months ahead of schedule to the automated assembly line at the Nevada site.</p>
<h5>Stronger Growth</h5>
<p>Production at the Tesla Gigafactory was originally slated for 2016. The early move and start of production was released in the company’s third quarter shareholder letter, showing tremendous potential for strong growth in the coming year. The Gigafactory is expected to be fully operational by 2020, and once completed is expected to produce batteries for around half a million vehicles annually.</p>


Construction on Tesla’s $5 billion manufacturing factory is ahead of schedule and has already started producing Tesla Energy products.

/Lithium Ion

Advanced Transport

Electric Vehicles Are the Future, but Their Batteries Are Stuck in the Past

Earth & Energy

A Massachusetts Company Claims to Be Close to a Solid-State Battery

Hard Science

Remarkable New Battery Can Hold Three Times as Much Energy

Earth & Energy

New Battery Breakthrough Could Double Your Smartphone’s Life

Robots & Machines

New Battery From Stanford Can Turn Itself On and Off

Robots & Machines

Tesla Gigafactory Ahead of Schedule — Production Already Underway

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