The EV battery tech that’s worth the hype, according to experts

You saw the headlines: This technological breakthrough in batteries will change electric vehicles forever. And then…silence. You head to the local showroom and the cars all look the same.

WIRED was upset by this phenomenon. So we spoke with battery technology experts about what’s really going on in electric vehicle batteries. What technologies are here? Which it probably will, but it hasn’t happened yet, so don’t hold your breath? What’s probably not going to happen anytime soon?

“It’s easy to get excited about these things because batteries are so complex,” said Pranav Jaswani, a technology analyst at IDTechEx, a market information company. “A lot of little things are going to have a huge effect.” That’s why so many companies, including automakers, their suppliers and battery manufacturers, are experimenting with so many battery components. Replace one electrically conductive material with another and an electric vehicle battery’s range could increase by 50 miles. Rethink how batteries are assembled, and an automaker could reduce manufacturing costs enough to give consumers a break on the sales lot.

Still, experts say, it can take a long time to make even small changes to production cars — sometimes 10 years or more. “Obviously we want to make sure that everything we put in an electric vehicle works well and meets safety standards,” said Evelina Stoikou, who leads the battery technology and supply chain team at BloombergNEF, a research firm. Ensuring this requires scientists to come up with new ideas and suppliers to figure out how to implement them; automakers, in turn, rigorously test each iteration. Meanwhile, everyone is asking the most important question: is this improvement financially profitable?

It is therefore entirely logical that not all the advances made in the laboratory are materialized. Here are the ones that really matter – and the ones that haven’t really come to fruition, at least so far.

It’s really happening

Major advances in batteries all have something in common: they are linked to lithiumionic battery. Other battery chemistries exist – we’ll get to them later – but over the next decade it will be difficult to catch up to the dominant battery form. “Lithium-ion is already very mature,” Stoikou said. Many players have invested a lot of money in technology, so “any new technology will have to compete with the status quo.”

Lithium iron phosphate

Why it’s exciting: LFP batteries use iron and phosphate instead of more expensive and harder to obtain products nickel And cobaltthat we find in the lithium ion batteries. They are also more stable and degrade more slowly after multiple charges. The bottom line: LFP batteries can help reduce the cost of manufacturing an electric vehicle, a particularly important data point as Western electric vehicles struggle to compete on cost with conventional gasoline-powered cars. LFP batteries are already common in China and are expected to become more popular in European and American electric vehicles in the coming years.

Why is it hard: LFP is less energy dense than alternatives, meaning you can’t pack as much charge – or runtime – into each battery.

More nickel

Why it’s exciting: The increased nickel content in lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries increases energy density, which means more runtime in a battery without significantly more size or weight. Additionally, more nickel can mean less cobalt, a metal that is both expensive and ethically questionable to obtain.

Why is it hard: Batteries with higher nickel content are potentially less stable, meaning they are at higher risk of cracking or “thermal runaway”, which can cause fires. That means battery makers experimenting with different nickel contents must spend more time and energy carefully designing their products. This extra hustle means more expenses. For this reason, we can expect increased use of nickel in high-end electric vehicle batteries.

Dry Electrode Process

Why it’s exciting: Usually, battery electrodes are made by mixing materials in a solvent slurry, which is then applied to a metal current collector sheet, dried and pressed. The dry electrode process reduces solvents by mixing materials into dry powder form before application and lamination. Less solvent means fewer environmental, health and safety concerns. And eliminating the drying process can save production time – and increase efficiency – while reducing the physical footprint needed to manufacture batteries. All of this can lead to cheaper manufacturing, “which should result in a cheaper car,” Jaswani said. Tesla has already integrated a dry anode process into the manufacturing of its batteries. (The anode is the negative electrode that stores lithium ions while a battery is charging.) LG and Samsung SGI are also working on pilot production lines.

Why is it hard: Using dry powders can be more technically complicated.

Cell to pack

Why it’s exciting: In your standard electric vehicle battery, the individual battery cells are grouped into modules, which are then assembled into packs. This is not the case in the case of cell-to-pack, which places cells directly into a pack structure without the intermediate module step. This allows battery manufacturers to fit more batteries in the same space, which can lead to an additional 50 miles of range and higher top speeds, Jaswani said. It also reduces manufacturing costs, savings that can be passed on to the car buyer. Major automakers including Tesla and BYD, as well as Chinese battery giant CATL, are already using the technology.

Why is it hard: Without modules, it can be more difficult to control thermal runaway and maintain the battery structure. Additionally, replacing one cell for another makes replacing a faulty battery cell much more difficult, meaning that smaller defects may require opening or even replacing the entire pack.

Silicon anodes

Why it’s exciting: Lithium-ion batteries have graphite anodes. However, adding silicon to the mix could have huge benefits: more energy storage (meaning longer battery lifes) and faster charging, potentially up to six to 10 minutes to recharge. Tesla already mixes some silicon into its graphite anodes, and other automakers – Mercedes-Benz, General Motors – say they are getting closer to mass production.

Why is it hard: Silicon alloyed with lithium expands and contracts during the charge and discharge cycle, which can cause mechanical stress and even fracture. Over time, this can lead to even more dramatic battery capacity losses. For now, you’re more likely to find silicon anodes in smaller batteries, like those in phones or even motorcycles.

That’s kind of what happens

Battery technology in the more speculative category has undergone extensive testing. But we’re not yet at the point where most manufacturers are building production lines and integrating them into cars.

Sodium-ion batteries

Why it’s exciting: Sodium: it’s everywhere! Compared to lithium, the element is cheaper and easier to find and process, meaning the search for the materials to make sodium-ion batteries could give automakers a break in the supply chain. The batteries also seem to perform better in extreme temperatures and are more stable. Chinese battery maker CATL has announced that it will begin mass production of batteries next year and that these could eventually cover 40% of China’s passenger vehicle market.

Why it’s difficult: Sodium ions are heavier than their lithium counterparts, so they generally store less energy per battery. This could make it a better choice for battery storage than for vehicles. This technology is still in its infancy, which means fewer suppliers and fewer proven manufacturing processes.

Solid State Batteries

Why it’s exciting: Automakers have been promising for years that revolutionary solid-state batteries will soon be available. That would be great, if it’s true. This technology replaces the liquid or gel electrolytes of a conventional lithium-ion battery with a solid electrolyte. These electrolytes should come in different chemical compositions, but they all have big advantages: more energy density, faster charging, more durability, fewer safety risks (no liquid electrolyte means no leaks). Toyota says it will finally launch its first vehicles equipped with solid-state batteries in 2027 or 2028. BloombergNEF predicts that by 2035, solid-state batteries will account for 10% of electric vehicle and storage production.

Why is it hard: Some solid electrolytes struggle at low temperatures. However, the biggest problems relate to manufacturing. Assembling these new batteries requires new equipment. It is really difficult to create electrolyte layers without defects. And the industry has not reached agreement on which solid electrolyte to use, making it difficult to create supply chains.

Maybe it will happen

Good ideas don’t always make much sense in the real world.

Wireless charging

Why it’s exciting: Park your car, get out and charge it while you wait – no outlet required. Wireless charging could be the pinnacle of convenience, and some automakers insist it’s coming. Porsche, for example, is showing off a prototype and plans to roll out the real thing next year.

Why is it hard: The problem, Jaswani said, is that the technology behind the chargers we have now works perfectly well and is much cheaper to install. He expects that eventually, wireless charging will appear in some narrow use cases — perhaps on buses, for example, which could charge throughout their route if they stop over a charging pad. But the technology may never become truly mainstream, he said.