Energie
Hat die Batteriekapazität Ihres Elektroautos abgenommen? Schuld ist Wasserstoff
Energieverlust von Batterien
Even after decades of utilizing them in electronics—and now EVs—we still do not fully understand lithium-ion batteries. For example, one such issue is the tendency of batteries to self-discharge over time. This is an issue that tends to become larger over time, and a major reason why batteries reach the end of their useful life after 7-10 years in most cases.
Selbstentladung ist auch ein Problem für Batteriematerialien, die kein Kobalt verwenden, und begrenzt deren Verbreitung, selbst wenn Kobalt teuer ist und unter Bedingungen produziert wird, die häufig Menschenrechte verletzen.
Bis vor kurzem gingen Wissenschaftler davon aus, dass Selbstentladung mit Lithium‑Ionen zusammenhängt (siehe unten für weitere Details). Aber das scheint nicht zutreffend zu sein.
Forscher haben kürzlich veröffentlicht, dass Protonen (Wasserstoffkerne) tatsächlich für die Selbstentladung verantwortlich sind. Das eröffnet neue Design‑Ansätze und Wege, das Problem zu mindern, was zukünftige Batterien erheblich verbessern könnte.
Sie veröffentlichten ihre Ergebnisse in der renommierten Fachzeitschrift Science unter dem Titel “Lösungsmittelvermittelte Oxidwasserstoffung in geschichteten Kathoden”.
This was achieved with a massive collaborative effort bringing together researchers from the University of Colorado, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, University of Houston, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Oregon State University, Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, National Taiwan University.
Das frühere Paradigma
Lithium‑Batterien funktionieren, indem Lithium‑Ionen vom Anoden‑ zum Kathodenseiten durch einen Elektrolyten wandern. Dieser Fluss erzeugt einen elektrischen Strom. Der Prozess wird beim Laden der Batterie umgekehrt.
Quelle: ResearchGate
Bis jetzt ging man davon aus, dass Selbstentladung mit Lithium‑Ionen zusammenhängt, die in der Kathode stecken bleiben und beim Laden nicht zur Anode zurückkehren, wodurch die verfügbare Ionenmenge zur Stromerzeugung reduziert wird.
This has been central to improving lithium-ion designs, with many attempts to optimize the flow of lithium-ion and make their returns to the anode as perfect as possible. It appears, however, that this is not the actual issue.
Wasserstoff übernimmt Lithium‑Plätze
The researchers were able to analyze in-depth battery material using a powerful X-ray machine at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois.
Durch diese Analyse entdeckten sie, dass Wasserstoffmoleküle aus dem Elektrolyten in das Kathodenmaterial eindringen und die Plätze der Lithium‑Ionen einnehmen. Das führte zu einem Rückgang des verfügbaren Raums für Lithium‑Ionen und verringerte die Batteriekapazität.
Dies geschieht hauptsächlich im geschichteten Übergangsmetall‑Oxid der Kathode.
Außerdem beschädigt dieser Prozess die Kathode physisch, verursacht Risse und beschleunigt die Degradation der Batterie.
So not only do the hydrogen protons reduce the battery life by reducing the capacity, but also by causing direct damages that were until now assumed to be caused by lithium-ions.
Direktes Potenzial
Lösung der EV‑Einschränkungen
A key limitation in EV adoption & switching to cobalt-free batteries is that alternative chemistries display a relatively lower range. For some drivers, this is an unacceptable limitation compared to fuel cars.
The concern of the battery pack lasting less than the rest of the car, leading to unpredictable extra expenses, is also a major concern blocking many from switching to EVs. Especially as most EV models are still somewhat more expensive to purchase.
This short lifespan is also an ecological concern, as it means more material needs to be mined, more energy is consumed to produce the batteries, and more efforts need to be put into recycling.
Verbesserung der Lebensdauer von Kathoden
Now that we know hydrogen, not lithium, is to blame for cathode degradation, we are more likely to find effective solutions. The researchers for example discuss the use of a special coating on the cathode that could block the hydrogen molecules.
Another option would be to use different electrolytes that do not generate hydrogen in the first place.
Festkörperbatterien
This is also an encouraging discovery for solid-state batteries. As these designs do not use an electrolyte at all, they might be entirely immune from the problems caused by hydrogen created from the electrolyte.
In itself, this could explain some of the remarkable performance of solid-state batteries.
Investitionen in fortschrittliche Batterietechnologien
Batterien stehen im Zentrum des Elektrifizierungs‑Trends, einem mehr‑billionen‑Dollar‑Unterfangen, das darauf abzielt, fossile Brennstoffe aus unseren Energiequellen zu entfernen. Zuverlässigere, günstigere oder langlebigere Batterien werden dabei im Mittelpunkt der „Grün‑Energie‑Transformation“ stehen.
You can invest in battery-related companies through many brokers, and you can find here, on securities.io, our recommendations for the best brokers in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, as well as many other countries.
If you are not interested in picking specific battery companies, you can also look into battery ETFs like Amplify Lithium & Battery Technology ETF (BATT), Global X’s Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (LIT), or the WisdomTree Battery Solutions UCITS ETF, which will provide a more diversified exposure to capitalize on the growing battery industry.
Or you can look at our article on the “Top 10 Battery Stocks To Invest In” and “Top 10 Battery Metals & Renewable Energy Mining Stocks“.
Fortschrittliche Batterieunternehmen
1. CATL (300750.SZ)
We talked already of CATL technological lead. The company is the global leader in battery manufacturing, producing more than half of the global battery volume. It is present at every step of the battery manufacturing supply chain and is a leader in battery technology.
This is true for lithium-ion batteries, where the company has been a long-established leader for a long time. Now it looks small in comparison to the latest announcement.
CATL has also announced in the past impressive progress on multiple other battery types :
- A 12.000‑Zyklen ultra‑lang‑lebige Batterie für netz‑große Energiespeicherung, mit 18.000 Zyklen als langfristiges Ziel.
- Eine 700 km LFP‑Batterie (Lithium‑Eisen‑Phosphat), die 400 km Reichweite in 10 Minuten lädt now looks small in comparison to the latest announcement.
- Eine 500 Wh/kg‑Batterie, die potenziell die Elektrifizierung von Passagierflugzeugen ermöglicht.
- Massenproduktion von 160 Wh/kg Natrium‑Ion‑Batterien, mit einem Ziel von 200 Wh/kg.
Quelle: CATL
CATL hat außerdem 3,25 Mrd. $ in Batterierecycling‑Kapazitäten in China investiert. CATL hat bemerkenswert hohe Rückgewinnungsraten von 99,6 % für Nickel, Kobalt, Mangan und 91 % für Lithium erzielt.
Thanks to its scale, focus, and R&D achievements, CATL is likely to be at the forefront of battery innovation, manufacturing, and recycling.
This makes it a key partner for EV manufacturers, including Tesla, NIO, Ford, Stellantis, etc, with Hyundai recently added to CATL growing rooster of strategic alliancess.
In addition, the lessons learned in one chemistry can be applicable in another, so we might see soon honeycomb or condensed-state sodium-ion batteries for example. The economies of scale in producing half of the world’s batteries are also likely applicable to the whole company, regardless of the specific technology used in an individual product.
2. BYD (BYDDY)
A long-time challenger of Tesla in the EV market, BYD has become a serious competitor not only for Tesla but for virtually all automakers.
The company evolved from its origin as a supplier of lithium-ion phone batteries to selling almost as many EVs as Tesla in China (the world’s largest EV market) and being the best-selling EV in Thailand, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Israel, and Brazil.
BYD is a large part of why China suddenly became the world’s largest car exporter in 2023, surpassing Japan. The company’s aggressive overseas expansion is also carried by new factories, like in Hungary.
And with the release of $10,000-$12,000 cars like the Seagul, using sodium batteries, a whole new market might open for BYD EVs.
Still a battery manufacturer at its core, BYD is a serious challenger to CATL in the LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery market, with a 41.1% market share in China (compared to CATL’s 33.9%).
The “flood” of cheap EVs produced by BYD into the European and American markets is likely to be met with some level of protectionism (even above the recently imposed tariffs), which could hinder BYD’s growth.
But at the same time, cheap Chinese EVs are already a great success in the rest of the world, which does not have incumbents much in the way of domestic automakers to protect, including the entirety of South America, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia.
This represents several billion potential customers for BYD, living in countries eager to strike a geopolitical balance and stay on good terms with both the West and China, so it is unlikely to create too strong protectionist barriers.
And even in the EU or the USA, BYD might stay competitive, thanks to the much higher prices of local EV manufacturers compared to prices in China, as well as localization of the production out of China for these markets, like, for example, in Eastern Europe, Mexico, or Turkey.
