Electric vehicles (EVs) have come a long way since their early days, with a special thanks to all the advancements in EV battery technology. EV batteries have seen a lot of changes on their journey that started in 1800s with lead-acid batteries to 2025 when we now have the latest Li-ion batteries.
This blog will take you through a chronological timeline to help understand how this technology has evolved over time and what the future has in store for the EV vehicles in regards to energy storage.
Let’s get started.
The EV battery story began in the 1800s when a rechargeable version of those bulky lead-acid batteries was invented in 1860 by a French physicist Gaston Plante. These batteries were considered revolutionary at that time but had certain flaws and limitations.
For example, their weight, bulk and limited energy storage made them impractical for widespread use in vehicles.
By the 1990s, nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries were introduced in the market. They provided better energy density and lifespan as compared to lead-acid batteries. This innovation eventually opened the door for more practical and efficient EVs.
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The real breakthrough was with lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that were invented by team of researchers John B. Goodenough, Rachid Yazami and Akira Yoshino in the 1980s. Li-ion batteries became available for commercial use in 1991.
The lightweight design, higher energy density and longer driving ranges brought a revolution in the EV industry. Nowadays, lithium-ion batteries are the main power sources in most of the electric vehicles, including compact city cars and high-performance SUVs.
The market is still dominated by lithium-ion batteries. However, the research continues into better, safer, and more sustainable battery technologies. Some promising trends in EV battery tech in the future may include:
Solid state batteries are the latest and most modern innovation in the field of EV battery technology. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries use a solid electrolyte. This has several advantages like faster charging times, improved safety (no risk of leaks or fires) and higher energy density.
Several major automakers and battery manufacturers believe that solid-state batteries will be commercially available around 2030s.
The application of silicon anodes has a lot of potential in battery systems. It’s a groundbreaking find because silicon can store ten times more energy than graphite anodes that are used in the current lithium-ion batteries.
A minor drawback of silicon anodes is that they can expand on charging but the researchers are making considerable progress to overcome such issues as well.
Some of the current research is exploring the potentials of lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries, which could be the future in energy storage. Although they are still in the experimental phase, the initial results promise a much higher energy density and greater electrochemical performance compared to the current Li-ion batteries.
With such a targeted focus on the future of EV battery technology, it won’t take long before we are introduced to more efficient, affordable and greener EVs than they are right now.
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