Battery technology changes pretty fast. I read the other day that we see around an 8% increase in battery technology every year. That's really good considering it is compounding growth, like your bank account used to be. However, aside from the fact that I can't really verify that information, I don't think that word "technology" refers explicitly to energy density. It could mean an improvement in the number of recharge cycles, or shorter charging times. This is all coming about with the tweaking of battery chemistry, but we are in a rut. Seems like everyone is hung up on these 18650 (18mm dia. x 65mm H) batteries. They aren't bad, but they are ordinary cylindrical batteries. You are limited by this design. Our ebike battery packs are simply clusters of these batteries and since these batteries are cylinders, there is a bunch of air space in our packs, and the overall geometric shape of these batteries is also therefore very limited. We've gone from bricks to tubes to triangular packs in an effort to find the right fit.
What if the battery could be shaped any way we wanted? Well, the next leap in battery technology is here. Prieto Battery is a company I read about in Popular mechanics magazine about 2 years ago. The Company’s mission is "to commercialize a patented 3D lithium-ion battery technology that delivers transformational performance at a competitive cost using non-toxic materials with the ability to customize shapes."
They developed a solid electrolyte layer that is not flammable like the liquid ETHER (yes, that is starting fluid) found in our batteries. And their energy density is through the roof because the basis of the battery is a open-cell foam structure that packs significantly more surface area into a given space than what can be achieved with plate-type electrode batteries, which is what we use now. The plates are just curled into a cylinder shape.
The improvement in energy density is to such an extent that electric car manufacturers will have to adopt the technology or be left behind, and the oil companies should begin to shudder because this will close the gap between the energy densities of gasoline, and batteries.
Awesome stuff. I can't wait!
Visit their website for more.
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