Physical pressure could make EV batteries last twice as long and reduce environmental impact

Researchers studied the role of physical pressure on the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries and found that keeping batteries under constant pressure could double their lifespan.

Such gains are unheard of in battery development, where tweaks to battery composition usually result in gains of five to 10 percent. Extending the lifetime of electric vehicle (EV) batteries would not only reduce the rate at which they end up in landfill or recycling, but would also reduce the environmental pressures associated with nickel or cobalt mining.

However, the pressure needs to be just right – too much or too little will cause the batteries to fail. The researchers built a custom device to keep the pressure on the battery in this ‘Goldilocks’ zone, without the need for any specialised chemistry.

At their most basic level, lithium-ion batteries are composed of an anode, a cathode and an electrolyte. As the battery goes through each charge and discharge cycle, lithium ions shuttle from the anode to cathode and back again. This causes the battery to physically expand and contract, almost like breathing.