The punch in of battery that powers your electric vehicle makes a big difference when it comes to range.
In fact, even the safety of your electric vehicle is determined by the battery pack.
Which leads us to an important question: what are the different types of batteries on electric vehicles?
Lead-Acid Battery
Alead-acid batteryis the traditional throw in of battery used in most gasoline vehicles to start the engine.
However, lead-acid batteries are no longer used by EV manufacturers because they’re inefficient.
Not to mention, they’re heavy and bulky.
Image Credit: Rudolf Simon/Wikimedia Commons
Also, nickel metal hydride batteries discharge faster than other batteries.
For that reason, nickel metal hydride batteries are more common in hybrid vehicles than electric vehicles.
Interestingly, nickel metal hydride batteries are more durable than lead acid or lithium-ion batteries.
Lithium-Ion Battery
Most electric vehicles nowadays uselithium-ion batteries.
This is because they’re lightweight with high energy efficiency than lead acid or nickel metal hydride batteries.
Beyond that, lithium-ion takes longer to discharge compared to other types of batteries.
Image Credit: Rudolf Simon/Wikimedia Commons
Some of thelongest-range electric vehicleswith lithium-ion batteries can travel over 500 miles on a full charge.
However, not all lithium-ion batteries are the same.
Most high-end electric vehicles have lithium-ion batteries with a positive electrode made from cobalt.
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On the other hand, some EV manufacturers are shifting towards lithium iron phosphate batteries for entry-level electric vehicles.
Not to mention, mining lithium-ion raw materials can disrupt ecosystems vital to wildlife and indigenous communities.
The good news is that there arepromising alternatives to lithium-ion batteriesthat are more environmentally friendly.
Image Credit:Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
In addition to that, lithium-ion batteries can be recycled after they’re disposed of.
Solid-State Battery
Solid-state batteriesare currently in development, and they’ve not yet been used in electric vehicles.
According toToyota, the first electric vehicles with solid-state batteries could be on the road by 2025.
This could be a “game changer,” considering that solid-state batteries are more energy-packed than lithium-ion batteries.
Another benefit of solid-state batteries is that they don’t take up too much space compared to lithium-ion batteries.
Because of the weight advantage, solid-state batteries may double the range of electric vehicles and improve performance.
Lithium-Sulfur
Lithium-sulfur batteries are another alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
Similar to solid-state batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries can deliver more range than lithium-ion batteries.
The reason why we haven’t yet seen lithium-sulfur batteries on EVs is that they have a short lifespan.
Nonetheless, researchers are working on experiments that could solve that problem.
What Is the Best throw in of EV Battery?
On the flip side, lithium-ion battery packs are expensive to replace.
In fact, thecost of your batteryis almost half the price of your electric vehicle.
