Lithium ion technology is frequently being pushed into new frontiers, and those advancements are increasing our potential to live more environmentally-friendly and economically-savvy lives. Let’s take Tesla’s Powerwall, a lithium-ion home battery, for example.
Electric cars are still a growing force in the automobile market, despite low gas prices in the U.S. for the last two years. The industry is seeing research innovations and consumer demand equally propelled by the desire to maximize green energy opportunities and harness the potential of autonomous vehicles.
Scientists at the University of California, Irvine stumbled upon a new discovery that allows them to create a nanowire-infused battery that can be recharged hundreds of thousands of times without breaking down. This innovation paves the way toward greatly improved battery lifespans for computers, smartphones, appliances, cars and spacecraft.
Lithium-ion battery research in June and early July show that manufacturers can drastically improve lithium batteries by optimizing current materials, rather than developing new components. Research teams at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and Texas A&M University published papers discussing two different methods of capitalizing on lithium ion battery construction methods.
Achieving a battery’s optimal performance is a lot like compromising in a new relationship; you have to be willing to give and take in equal amounts. Too much or too little of either, and you can create dangerous operating conditions where the battery has a tendency to behave erratically or underperform.
Major research developments in lithium-ion and lithium-air battery technologies were published in May by teams from the University of Maryland U.S. Army Research Laboratory and the University of Texas Dallas, respectively. The two innovations give an excellent glimpse into what lithium battery technology might look like in the next three-to-five years
It seems impossible to tune out the buzz that Tesla is making in the automotive world. Equally impressive is the impact rechargeable lithium batteries are having in the energy world. You might believe Tesla’s dominance is leading the charge in lithium, but lithium-ion technology’s authority in the power sector has been longstanding.
Lithium-ion leader RELiON Battery has joined forces with battery converter/charger manufacturer Progressive Dynamics and the leader in recreational vehicle production, Forest River, Inc., to change the way recreational vehicles are powered. RELiON’s lithium-ion RV battery will be used in the new Forest River Forester/Sunseeker Ford Transit series of RVs.