EV batteries could be revived with 'miracle' new material
Used EV batteries could be restored back to 'new' thanks to a scientific breakthrough which could revolutionise the second hand electric car market.
Researchers from the University of Chicago and University of California San Diego have discovered a new type of thermodynamics-defying material that helps old EV batteries perform like new again, resetting them and reviving their performance.
This may in turn reduce anxiety around used EV batteries and improve the sustainability of electric cars.
Minghao Zhang, a co-corresponding author of the Negative thermal expansion and oxygen-redox electrochemistry paper published by the University of Chicago's team in Nature scientific journal said: 'You don't have to send the battery back to the manufacturer or to any vendors. You just do this voltage activation.'
She added: 'Your car will be a new car. Your battery will be a new battery.'
Currently used EV batteries are one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption, with This is Money recently reporting that 75 per cent of UK drivers have 'serious concerns' about purchasing a second-hand EV, with the biggest issue being the remaining life of the battery.
The thermodynamics-defying material - that expand when crushed and shrink when heated - are not only important for general scientific discovery, but could be a game changer for electric cars.
The team has found that one of the materials most promising applications are with EV batteries.
The researchers found their new materials have opposite electrochemical energy voltage reactions which 'change our understanding of fundamental science'.
The process would use electrochemical driving force to push the EV battery materials into their 'metastable' states and as such return the car to the mileage it could cover between charges when it was new.
This 'voltage activation' could return EVs to their original range and charging capabilities.
Zhang explained: 'This is important not only as a scientific discovery, but very applicable for battery research.
'When we use the voltage, we drive the material back to its pristine state. We recover the battery.'
Zhang gave another example of structural batteries, which resist heat or pressure, doubling as the battery walls in an electric airplane.
This would make electric aircraft lighter and more efficient, as well as being safe from changes in temperature and pressure at high altitudes.
The team is clear that it wants to push ahead with more research to look into the full potential of these materials.
'One of the goals is bringing these materials from research to industry, possibly developing new batteries with higher specific energy,' co-first author Bao Qiu said, who is a visiting scholar at UC San Diego from the Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering.
If industry can utilise these materials it could mark a leap forward for used EVs.
Worries about used EV batteries put off car buyers
An Autocar poll of 1,462 motorists revealed the leading concern when considering a used EV is wear on the battery from the previous owner(s) recharging.
EV battery warranties are required by law to last at least eight years in the UK, but 47 per cent of those surveyed said they would be more likely to buy an electric car if the warranty was longer.
Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw, said there remains 'a natural scepticism' surrounding electric cars due to them being still relatively new in the public consciousness.
'Manufacturers and retailers are moving to dispel these concerns by offering comprehensive battery warranties and aftersales packages but our research shows this is not enough presently to convince a majority of second-hand car buyers to go electric,' he explained.
The Green Finance Institute (GFI) also found that 'fear of poor battery health is the single biggest barrier preventing the used EV market from taking off'.
Used EV battery health checks - will they reassure drivers?
However, since the Autocar poll two new used EV battery health checks have become available in order to ease concern for buyers.
Battery testing and analytics company ClearWatt launched its 'EV Check Plus ' tool in April which costs £8 and claims to give second-hand buyers peace of mind during the used EV purchasing process.
EV Check Plus aims to give customers with a proprietary and highly reliable estimate of the range of the second-hand EV, as well as history checks and legal obligations surrounding the vehicle.
It aims to show that used battery cars can be a sensible buy - and that batteries in particular are safe and reliable.
At the end of last year used car seller BCA brought in its own EV Battery Health Grading service to allow drivers to buy electric vehicles with greater confidence.
BCA's Battery Health grading gives buyers an at-a-glance view of an EV's traction battery condition, with an easy to interpret scoring system: Letters A to E will be accompanied by the numbered score of an AVILOO battery 'FLASH Test'.
When a customer buys a BCA used EV the Battery Health Grading will be displayed on the vehicle detail page, on vehicle search results and on the Live Bidding screens in BCA auction houses.
Buyers also get access to the full FLASH Test report post-sale, which will funnel through the onward retail process, including to local used car dealerships, helping sellers and buyers have greater trust and allow dealers to talk through battery health anxieties with customers.
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