Coches electricos

[Cadavre Exquis]

New EV Batteries are Making Electric Cars Cheaper and Safer
Posted by EditorDavid on Saturday February 22, 2025 @05:34PM from the better-batteries dept.

The Washington Post looks at a new kind of battery that "could make American EVs cheaper and safer, experts say."

If you bought an EV with a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery, you could expect lower car payments, less fire risk and more years of use out of your car — but you wouldn't be able to go as far on a single charge as you could with the nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries commonly found in American and European electric cars. That trade-off has made LFP batteries the go-to choice for standard-range EVs in China, helping to make electric cars more affordable and limit pollution. Now, American companies are starting to build their own LFP batteries to catch up to their Chinese rivals... But there are plenty of barriers for U.S. companies that want to adopt a technology dominated by Chinese firms. Tariffs and tax credit restrictions have made it too expensive for most American automakers to import LFP batteries from China, and national security concerns have made it hard for American companies to partner with Chinese battery makers to build factories in the United States...

Although American scientists invented LFP batteries in 1997, U.S. automakers didn't invest in the technology. Instead, they bet on NMC batteries because they have longer range, a big concern for American EV buyers. "Everyone in the West thought LFP was a nonstarter five or six years ago," said Adrian Yao, who founded STEER, a technology research group within Stanford University. "We really did have a myopic focus on" range, he added. That left the door open for Chinese companies to perfect LFP batteries, which have a few advantages. Instead of pricey nickel and cobalt, they use iron, which makes them 20 percent cheaper than NMC batteries, according to the International Energy Agency. While NMC batteries can be recharged up to about 1,000 times before they go kaput — which is enough to put 200,000 miles on most EVs — LFP batteries can last two or three times as long, according to Moura. Plus, LFP batteries' chemistry makes them less likely to catch fire and easier to extinguish. An NMC battery, on the other hand, is so flammable that "you could put it underwater or in space, and it'll keep burning because the oxygen it needs to keep the flame going is embedded within itself," Moura said.

That safety advantage is key, because Chinese firms figured out they could pack LFP cells closer together inside a battery pack without risking a fire. That meant they could cram more energy into LFP batteries and nearly catch up to the range of NMC batteries. Last year, the Chinese battery giant CATL made the first LFP battery with more than 600 miles of range. Since LFP batteries are made from common materials and last longer, they also have a smaller environmental footprint than NMC batteries.

Ford used LFP batteries in its Mach-E sedan (2023) and F-150 Lightning pickup trucks (2024), according to the article, "while Rivian began using them in the basic trims of its R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck this year... American LFP factories are slated to open this year in St. Louis and next year in Arizona." And an environmental engineering professor at the University of California at Berkeley predicts LFP battery factories in the U.S. will "grow quite rapidly over the next five to 10 years."

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

First solid-state battery Mercedes EQS offers 620-mile range and F1 technologies
Mercedes-Benz beat Toyota to announce the first production car from a global automaker with a true solid-state battery. The sedan is part of its EQS series and is capable of covering more than 600 miles of range on a charge in its first edition.

Daniel Zlatev · 2025.02.26

The first EQS with solid-state battery can cover north of 600 miles (Image source: Mercedes)

Despite many proclamations, it is not Toyota or any other automaker that crafted the first production vehicle with a true solid-state battery, but rather Mercedes-Benz.

The first Mercedes with a solid-state battery is in the EQS sports sedan series, and it carries a pack with 25% higher energy density than its previous lithium battery with liquid electrolyte in the same footprint.

Since Mercedes runs multiple solid-state battery partnerships, including with ProLogium, it can choose its test vehicle supplier of solid-state cells, and picked Factorial Energy. Based in Massachusetts, Factorial also has joint solid-state battery development ventures with other automakers like Hyundai or Stellantis, but the Mercedes-Benz EQS is the first vehicle from a global manufacturer to come with one.

Mercedes says that the EQS has been modified slightly to accommodate the higher energy density system, and the modifications were done by its AMG High Performance Powertrains subsidiary that is also in charge of the brand's Formula 1 racing technologies that often get transferred to the rest of its portfolio.

The Mercedes EQS was equipped with a solid-state battery last quarter and, after all the lab tests, the automaker has now taken it on the road to complete the "1,000km", or 620+ miles range test.

The first generation of the Factorial Energy's retail solid-state battery has 25% higher energy density than the previous high-nickel pack in the EQS, but can fit in the same space and is much safer due to the lack of flammable liquid electrolyte.

That is why Mercedes has rated the solid-state battery EQS as capable of pulling 620 miles on a charge. The current top-shelf EQS has a big 118 kWh battery rated for 481 miles of range. That is on Europe's WLTP cycle, which is about 10% more generous than the EPA range estimate in the US, so the 620-mile range with the new solid-state battery will probably be in the vicinity of the 560-mile EPA range.

That is certainly still very impressive, though, as the inaugural EQS with a solid-state battery would beat the current record holder the Lucid Air GT which can do 512 miles on a charge with the exact same 118 kWh battery capacity.

"Being the first to successfully integrate lithium metal solid-state batteries into a production vehicle platform marks a historic achievement in electric mobility," said Siyu Huang, a CEO and cofounder of Factorial.

Mercedes and AMG, in their turn, took Factorial's battery cells with solid-state electrolyte, and created a patented floating housing with pneumatic actuators that compensates for the expansion and contraction of the battery material during charging and discharging, resulting in a better performance and longer lifespan.

Mercedes says that the next generation of its solid-state batteries will offer an even larger 40% increase in energy density, which should bring about some impressive range on a charge. For now, however, it is focused on road testing and fine-tuning of the first EQS with solid-state battery, and will be ready to report the results in a few months.

The Mercedes EQS solid-state battery EV is currently undergoing road tests

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://www.expansion.com/economia/financial-times/2025/03/04/67c6c0ac468aeb1b698b459a.html

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://www.eleconomista.es/motor/noticias/13256547/03/25/mercedes-stellantis-ford-volkswagen-y-tesla-pisan-el-freno-en-las-ventas-de-electricos-en-2024.html

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://www.pressreader.com/spain/el-economista/20250320/page/32/textview

BYD revoluciona la carga del coche eléctrico: 400 km en cinco minutos

Saludos.

[pollo]

https://www.pressreader.com/spain/el-economista/20250320/page/32/textview

BYD revoluciona la carga del coche eléctrico: 400 km en cinco minutos

Saludos.

400Km en 5 minutos es una mejora sustancial, pero sigue siendo peor que uno de combustible. Es verdad que posibilita muchos casos de uso, pero habrá que ver si la infraestructura eléctrica se implanta.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-03-25/los-puntos-de-recarga-del-coche-electrico-solo-se-utilizan-15-veces-al-dia-de-media-en-espana.html

https://cincodias.elpais.com/companias/2025-03-24/xiaomi-vendera-5300-millones-en-acciones-para-financiar-su-aventura-en-el-coche-electrico.html

Saludos.

[Cadavre Exquis]

https://www.eleconomista.es/motor/noticias/13284400/03/25/tesla-hunde-sus-ventas-en-europa-un-426-mientras-que-los-electricos-crecen-un-314-hasta-febrero.html

Saludos.