Cold vehicle drivers in Chicago in Chicago (EV) to wait for the queue for hours at shipping stations last month; Some even found themselves They were stranded When their battery died while waiting for the waiting lists. RechargeableLithium Ion batteries that operate most EVS perform badly in the cold, so scientists and car makers around the world are busy scrambled for solutions. These include meal computer models to ensure peak performance, as well as the most solid batteries that keep cars – and their drivers are safe – whether frozen or incendiary on the road.
Such promotions aim to address large barriers in front of the promised EV revolution. The Biden Administration increases EV’s ownership in an ambitious batch to reduce greenhouse emissions, and the president hopes to form EVS half Among all new vehicles sold in the United States by 2030 (even almost from 8 percent Of car sales in the first half 2023). But recent incidents, such as cars in Chicago, show how the current EV technology can flounder with the increasing weather in the future: Climate change remains Driving The average global temperatures, but this disrupts the patterns that regulate the planet’s weather for a long time – so that they can enter general warming The worst cold shots.
“Severe cold provides safety risks to charging batteries,” said Paul Jasper, an employee of the electrochemical energy storage group at the electrochemical energy laboratory at the electrochemical energy laboratory. Scientists are generally considered a safe lithium batteries for use in relatively narrow The temperature range – between about 32 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (zero to 60 ° C), but estimates vary. When you reach 20 degrees Fahrenheit (seven degrees Celsius) abroad, the average scope of driving in EV decreases by 12 percent compared to its total at 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 ° C), the American Automobile Association Find In 2019, to understand the reason, we have to decrease the chemistry that operates the EV battery.
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Temperature
When the EV batteries are displayed, lithium ions that carry the charging Traveling through Liquid electrolyte from each battery cell to another (between positive cathode and negative anode). After that – like cars that conclude the energy stored for the battery during the drives of the drives – the ions are back in the opposite direction. If the chills battery (in the cold surprise, for example), the liquid highway between the anode and the cathode thickens, which slows the ions. This means that cold batteries may take longer to charge them, and these charges can be lost closer to the most moderate temperatures.
Cars when it is less than 32 degrees Fahrenheit can cause lithium ions pile On the surface of the anode because the molecules cannot move quickly enough. These ion groups, referred to as paint, can cause, spark explosion. (However, electric cars shoot Relatively Compared to the cars that work with gas, the researchers study designs The batteries that extinguish themselves))
Moreover, EV works all the additional work to heat things. Thermal management system, which Organize Battery temperature, electric motor and other components, drain the charging. And when a driver turns on the cabin temperature, the battery should operate the HVAC system and other devices such as Deferoster and Deferers. Gas -working cars with internal combustion engines also suffer from a cold. The economy in fuel consumption is about 15 percent at 20 degrees Fahrenheit, compared to what they will get at 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 ° C), according to The US Department of Energy. But the equivalent loss for EV can strike 39 percent In 20 degrees Fahrenheit
Very hot days can harm the performance of EV as well. Top temperatures accelerate travel ions, and at a certain time, this sets a series of unintended chemical reactions that can analyze the battery components – including electrolyte – more than the car’s life. When external temperatures reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 ° C) and drivers raising air conditioning, it can be the driving range Decrease 17 percent, AAA report said.
Artificial intelligence modifications
The tampering with car programs can benefit from the batteries already in the market. Teslas and other EVS are used with advanced computers on the plane complex artificial intelligence models to ensure the work of batteries safely and efficiently; AI programs analyze data from temperature and voltage sensors to prevent increased battery charging and predicting the distance that the car can drive on its remaining shipment. Sultas also has a feature called PreparationWhere cars are heated or their battery cools to the appropriate shipping temperature. But these models need some improvements, says Gasper.
He explains that for one reason, it can be best customized to calculate the health of the battery while deteriorating over time. It is also believed that artificial intelligence models can push cars to succeed in a wide range of temperatures (by distributing cooling liquid or dominant fans, for example) without clarifying risks to the car or driver. As these models improve, we can better trust the battery management “in the widest possible operating window,” says Jasper.
“The models of artificial intelligence can only give drivers almost to the current charge levels of the battery and health. This is the reason why EV drivers often face sudden decreases in the scope of their car driving. In Chicago, one Uber driver left in January They were stranded Although his car showed that there are 30 miles on his battery.
Jasper says that the most intelligent artificial intelligence models can only push cars. The transfer of EVS to the next level of permanent extremist temperatures will require progress in the battery technology itself.
Better batteries
Scientists are trying to multiple strategies to make batteries more than weather. One of the most promising methods is to improve the electricity. Cheng Chen, a material and engineer at the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues created a new electrolyte that works well in laboratory tests at low temperatures of up to -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 ° C) and a height of 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 ° C), according to Ticket Researchers were published in 2022.
The team achieved this by mixing lithium salt with a solvent called Ethar Debuttle, which passes easily around the lithium ions and remains liquid even at the SUBZERO and SuperHigh temperatures. Although the recipe is promising, it is difficult to determine whether it will work widely with the battery parts available commercially. This type of formula is likely not a single solution: car makers Use A variety of materials in lithium ion batteries, which are constantly modified to keep pace with technological progress and guarantee, for example, more components at reasonable prices or longer. Chen says that one of the solvents or metal salt can not be in line with all battery materials on the market.
Although it is difficult to find electrolytes and other materials that will excel in various realistic circumstances, Gasper says artificial intelligence can Help Use the discovery process. The researchers have Programmed Robots inspired by pharmaceutical technology actuallyUse To discover drugs to test nominated substances.
Some experts believe that self -heating batteries can be another way to help EVS overcome the cold. In 2018 scientists at Pennsylvania State University Declare They created such a battery by combining nickel chips that hinder electrons when the battery drops under room temperature. The electrons that were captured chips, in turn, heat the entire battery. Scientists say this can allow batteries to fast charging even at low temperatures of up to 58 ° F (-50 ° C). Other approaches, such as harnessing Electric current pulses From the motor of the car, the batteries can also be heated to charge faster in the cold.
But EV engineers face a dilemma They call “the problem”: It is difficult to designer a battery that works efficiently in a set of environments and It is still affordable and long. “We are somewhat trying to balance the cost, performance and safety,” says Chen. Car companies may approach these factors differently depending on their priorities. Some, for example, the highest performance is more than the ability to withstand costs – it can include more expensive battery materials. For this reason, Evs Pricier tends to get the highest miles.
Ultimately, it may be better to customize batteries designs for a specific climate throughout the country and the world. Drivers are used in the atmosphere near the batteries suitable for cold. Thermal reference batteries, at the same time, will be particularly important for people living in tropical areas. There, faster chemical reactions, heat driven, can deterioration Batteries-which leads to high-term EV costs in areas where income is less than the global average. “It is the issue of economic justice,” says Gasper. The industry has not been present yet, but it is a problem that EV experts need to be solved.