Smarter Batteries For Electric Vehicles On The Horizon

Today an electric car faces multiple issues to settle in as a viable means of transport. To name a few, it takes ages to reach a full charge of its batteries. It then runs out of juice a lot sooner as compared to a full tank of flammable fuel. Having said that, nearly everyone is convinced that electric cars are here to stay and will replace today’s gas-guzzlers in the near future. It is on this conviction that car manufacturers around the world are spending millions to constantly improve their offering in the EV (electric vehicle) segment.

Well, there is good news from America for those who have been stopping themselves from buying an EV due of the mileage issue. A team of researchers, led by an Indian-origin engineer, at Ohio State University have designed a thin plastic membrane that stops rechargeable batteries from discharging when not in use. Additionally, the same tech will help in faster charging of the batteries.

Today’s best EVs can go on for about 200 miles before needing an 8-hour charging halt. That works out to approximately 0.4 miles per minute of charge. On the contrary, a conventional petrol or diesel powered car can cover the same distance after spending a minute at the fuel station. The researchers claim that their technology can provide up to scores of kilometres per minute of charge. "That is still an order of magnitude away from the equivalent measure in gasoline," shared Vishnu-Baba Sundaresan, leader of the study.

Researchers claim that the same technology could be applied to “supercapacitors” for electric cars. Researchers hope the “smart” membrane will enable the development of a new category of quick-charging and stronger batteries called “redox transistor batteries” for EVs that can then travel further on a single charge. Sundaresan and Travis Hery, a doctoral student, are using their invention to develop a new breed of batteries in which energy is stored in a liquid electrolyte.