Glass, compostable and other new EV batteries planned

Glass is a main part of a new EV battery patented by a team led by John Goodenough, 94, who helped invent the lithium-ion battery.

The new battery is reported to have triple the energy storage of comparable li-ion batteries, having none of the issues which some existing ones have, such as flammability.

The glass is used with sodium or lithium to form an electrode and the battery is expected to be cheaper than existing ones with greater life, power, range and able to withstand broad temperature variations.

It’s uncertain when the battery will be commercially available but it could be at least a year away.

Recent battery innovations include BYD’s new ‘Blade’ lithium iron phosphate one, and Daimler’s ‘compostable’ battery revealed at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2020 in Las Vegas during January when Mercedes-Benz revealed its Vision Avtr.

Avtr is named after the film Avatar, and Daimler worked with the team around director James Cameron on the electric concept car that includes a compostable 110-kWh battery with graphene-based organic cell chemistry without rare earths and metals.

Other battery projects include solid state ones, lithium sulphur and an expected update on Tesla’s Battery Day initially scheduled for April but possibly now delayed.

Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 helped boost the United Kingdom’s March EV market share to  a record 7.3%, the Model 3 contributing 4718 units.