RE: Another great article for DGI in today’s Telegraph17 Dec 2023 10:42
Part 3 of Telegraph article.
Fortunately, inroads are being made into these other costs, says Jones, which could reduce how much power is needed to make them.
He says that using infrared technology or removing solvents from sodium battery manufacturing could slash energy usage, which in turn will bring down costs.
Innovation that potentially reduces the cost of electric car batteries will prove crucial as the rate of sales slows in Britain and Europe.
Last month, household buying of cars fell by 6pc, triggered by a slump in sales of battery-powered vehicles, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The lobby group found that the percentage of electric cars sold has fallen compared to the rest of the year, with EVs accounting for 15.6pc of car sales in November, compared to 16.3pc in the first 10 months of the year. Forecasts for electric car take-up were also slashed by almost half last month by the Government’s financial watchdog.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) previously indicated that sales of new battery-powered cars were expected to grow steadily until accounting for 67pc of the market by 2027, under a prediction issued in March. However, that figure has now been revised down to just 38pc by the OBR, which said that the take-up of EVs has been slowing.
Getting the price of electric cars down to that of petrol equivalents has been seen as a way to boost sales, particularly as the cost of running the vehicle remains cheaper thanks to low-cost home charging. Jones says there are two big trends to keep an eye on in the industry’s quest for cheaper and more efficient batteries.
One is alternative chemistries like sodium and LFP, and the other is so-called solid-state technology.
Battery cells have an anode and cathode, plus an electrolyte which transfers charge-carrying particles between the two.
Currently, electrolytes in lithium batteries are liquid.
However, a solid electrolyte is potentially lighter, safer and accommodates faster charging. Car manufacturers such as Nissan and Toyota are predicting that a solid-state model will be ready by 2028, although Mauro Pasta, professor of applied electrochemistry at the University of Oxford, warns that mass manufacturing at a reasonable cost is still a long way off.
He also warns of the pitfalls underlying sodium technology, although he adds it could ultimately serve as a useful alternative to lithium. “You want to have that chemistry in your pocket, just in case the price of lithium will go up again,” he says. “Then you have an alternative that is inexpensive”.
Crucially, the availability of sodium for other battery technologies could also reduce overall competition for lithium, potentially bringing down costs.
Yet, regardless of which substance is used, both Jones and Pasta agree that new technologies will be needed to power the electric car revolution.
“We’re not going be able to deliver