Electric vehicle (EVs) needs an energy storage system to power the vehicle propulsion system. Many energy storage systems are there such as batteries, ultra-capacitors, flywheels, fuel cells, and so on.
The battery is the most commonly used in EVs because of its comparatively mature technologies and good energy density and cycle life.
At present, many batteries have been explored for electric vehicle applications like Nickel-cadmium (NiCd), Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH), and Lead-acid (Pb -H2SO4) but Li-ion battery is found more useful in EV applications.
It is the measure of energy stored per unit volume/mass.
The higher the energy density the lesser the weight of the battery required for the same range, decreasing the weight of the vehicle. Energy density defines the range of the vehicle while Power density defines the performance of the vehicle i.e.; how fast the vehicle is accelerating. Lithium Cobalt oxide battery has the highest energy density among all other batteries.
Electrodes and electrolytes determine the temperature operationality of the Li-ion battery. Li-ion battery can work in the temperature range of −20 °C ~ 60 °C with an optimal temperature range of 15 °C–35 °C.
It is defined as the number of charges and discharges a battery can complete before losing performance. The larger the cycle life more the years the Li-ion battery can work. It can be in the range of 400-2000 cycles depending upon the electrode materials used while a Zinc-air battery has only 100 cycles approximately. Tesla claims 1500 battery charge cycles of Li-ion batteries are used in its vehicles.
The cell terminal voltage of the Li-ion battery is around 3.6–3.85 V while that of the Ni-MH terminal voltage is 1.2-1.5 V only. So less number of cells are required to achieve the desired voltage level. Li-ion cell also maintains a nearly constant voltage of 3.6 V irrespective of load. Li-ion batteries also have good Coulombic Efficiency (charge-discharge efficiency) which can be up to 92 %
Li-ion battery has a very self-discharge rate which is 0.35–2.5% monthly which is about 13.9–70.6 % in NiMH batteries. Li-ion batteries have very little memory effect (which occurs when the battery is charged before its complete discharge so it reduces the longevity of the battery), this effect is mainly found in Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries.
So very little maintenance is required for the Li-ion battery.
Li-ion supports fast charging due to the nature of electrodes and electrolytes.
Li-ion batteries work on the principle of intercalation and de-intercalation means intercalating into the anode and intercalating from the cathode rapidly. Tesla Model 3 Li-ion battery can be charged up to 80% just in 40 minutes. The lead acid battery does not support fast charging which can take up to 48 hours.
This post was last modified on August 3, 2024 11:49 am
In a major stride toward sustainable mobility, the Himachal Pradesh Police have incorporated six custom-modified Tata Curvv electric vehicles into…
In India, the automotive and transport industry is undergoing significant changes. This transformation isn't just about improving roads and infrastructure;…
Montra Electric, the clean mobility brand from the prestigious Murugappa Group, has launched the All-New Super Auto, a next-generation electric…
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari (Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India) has once again made a bold statement that’s got…
India’s electric four-wheeler (E4W) market slowed in September 2025, following a record-breaking August, with 15,038 units sold, representing an 18%…
India’s EV market hit 1,04,056 electric two-wheeler sales in September 2025. TVS, Bajaj, and Ather led the chart, while Ola…
This website uses cookies.