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Due to the high cost of battery production, most electric vehicles cannot significantly increase their range within a limited budget, which limits their practical use. Compared to traditional fuel vehicles, this makes them less competitive. Without substantial government subsidies, it’s hard for new energy vehicles to gain a strong foothold in the market.
Therefore, batteries are as crucial to new energy vehicles as engines and transmissions are to traditional cars. In this article, we’ll break down what you need to know about car batteries in simple terms.
What should you focus on when considering the batteries of new energy vehicles?
If you live in a major city with restrictions on gasoline vehicles, you might be thinking about buying an electric or even a fully electric car. The cost per kilometer is much lower than that of a petrol car, so power consumption isn’t your main concern. Plus, many electric vehicles offer strong acceleration, which is great for city driving. However, most people don’t just use their cars for daily commutes—they also need to make longer trips. That’s where the single-charge range becomes a key factor.
To achieve a long range, you need a battery with high capacity. But batteries are bulky, and there's limited space in a car for them. So, the most important performance metric for a car battery is energy density. Other factors like power output, voltage, efficiency, and lifespan are also critical.
Energy density can be measured in two ways: volume (Wh/L) and mass (Wh/kg). Since electric vehicle batteries are usually made up of multiple cells connected in series and parallel, and managed by a Battery Management System (BMS), the energy density of individual cells and the overall system are both important.
Most automakers choose to buy battery cells from suppliers and design their own battery systems accordingly.
What types of batteries are used in new energy vehicles?
You may have heard of Tesla’s lithium batteries or BYD’s iron batteries. These are just some of the options available. From a structural perspective, new energy vehicle batteries fall into three categories: prismatic, pouch, and cylindrical.
However, when looking at the materials used, the classification becomes more complex. Common types include lead-acid, nickel-metal hydride, lithium-ion, zinc-air, and supercapacitors. Lead-acid batteries are still used in some low-speed electric vehicles due to their low cost, but they’re outdated.
Today, nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries are the most common. Nickel-metal hydride batteries are widely used in hybrid vehicles, such as Toyota’s Camry Hybrid and Corolla Hybrid. They use nickel hydride as the cathode and hydrogen storage alloys as the anode, with potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte.
Lithium-ion batteries are now the mainstream choice for electric vehicles. The positive electrode uses lithium compounds, while the anode is typically graphite. The electrolyte is organic, and these batteries come in various shapes, including prismatic and cylindrical. The structure and materials used affect the energy density of the battery.
The Power Behind New Energy Vehicles – Lithium Batteries
In the past, lithium batteries were mostly based on binary compounds like lithium manganate, lithium phosphate, or lithium cobalt oxide. Now, the industry has shifted toward ternary lithium batteries, also known as NCM or NCA. Companies like Sanyo, Panasonic, Sony, LG, and Samsung have all developed their own versions of these batteries.
Current mainstream types include lithium iron phosphate (LFP), nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM), and nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA). LFP batteries, used by BYD, are known for their safety and low cost, but they have lower energy density—around 135 Wh/kg—and are mainly used in passenger cars.
The focus now is on NCM and NCA batteries. NCM offers good stability and lower costs, making it popular among many manufacturers. It comes in different ratios, such as 111, 523, 622, and 811. The higher the nickel content, the greater the energy density and the lower the cobalt usage, which helps reduce costs. The 811 type has the highest nickel content and can reach over 200 Wh/kg.
Tesla uses NCA batteries, specifically the 18650 cylindrical cells, which have an energy density of around 250 Wh/kg. The newer Model 3 uses 21700 cells, offering 300 Wh/kg. Tesla is also leading in the use of silicon-carbon anodes to further boost energy density.
Battery Pack Design
Vehicle battery packs are large and operate at high voltages, so they consist of many cells connected in series and parallel. The shape, size, and environment of the cells, along with the layout and cooling requirements of the vehicle, all influence how the pack is designed. As a result, the same type of battery can take different forms depending on the manufacturer’s needs.
Typically, the battery pack is divided into modules, with each cell having a cooling plate and being soldered together. The module is then wrapped in insulation and placed in a frame. Finally, the entire system is installed in the vehicle and enclosed in a protective shell. A battery management system is also included to monitor temperature, voltage, and other parameters, ensuring safe and efficient operation.
In conclusion, as battery energy density continues to rise and costs fall, the range of electric vehicles will keep increasing, and prices will drop. This will put growing pressure on traditional fuel vehicles, pushing the automotive industry toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Analysis of Vehicle Battery: The Achilles' heel of New Energy Vehicle
As long as people have a basic understanding of new energy vehicles, they know that the biggest challenge in electric vehicle technology today lies in the difficulty of making breakthroughs in battery technology.