A new lithium-air battery design promises unprecedented energy density [another attempt]

[AusWolf]

LiPo (Lithium Polymer) resulted in a real, albeit very minor capacity increase vs standard Lithium Ion.

Not much more than that though, yeah.

Here's a comparison of the two, if anyone's interested. The differences are minor, but still...

 

[bug]

Here's a comparison of the two, if anyone's interested. The differences are minor, but still...

That actually illustrates very well how these advancements work: you win on a few fronts, only to lose on others

Edit: To be more precise, this isn't specific to batteries, it applies to pretty much everything we engineer. Batteries just seem to suffer more (or maybe it's just more visible, because we keep our eyes on them).

 

[AusWolf]

That actually illustrates very well how these advancements work: you win on a few fronts, only to lose on others

That's how it always works, I guess.

If you look at new phones vs old ones:
+ More versatile
+ better screens, camera, etc.
- They eat considerably more power, a single charge lasts considerably less even with a much bigger battery
- They are larger, making them less portable

New CPUs/GPUs vs old ones:
+ Considerably faster
+ More efficient
- They need more power
- More expensive
- The heat they generate is more concentrated, so they need more advanced cooling

EVs vs ICE cars:
+ Zero emission from the car itself
+ Instant torque as you step on the accelerator
+ Savings on fuel costs
- Big and heavy cars to support the battery
- More strain on the grid, more emission from power plants
- Charging is complicated if you live in an apartment
- Expensive to buy
- Not producing any noise is dangerous for pedestrians (plus the loss in fun factor)
- Battery lifespan
- Lithium recycling is problematic

And the list goes on with basically everything. There's no such thing as a perfect technology.

 

[R-T-B]

Here's a comparison of the two, if anyone's interested. The differences are minor, but still...

Actually appears I was wrong, LiPo is safer overall but lower capacity/energy density. Oof.

 

[Shrek]

I worry about air pollutants poisoning the battery.

 

[AusWolf]

Actually appears I was wrong, LiPo is safer overall but lower capacity/energy density. Oof.

Still, the differences are small. Don't worry about it.

 

[dragontamer5788]

LiPo (Lithium Polymer) resulted in a real, albeit very minor capacity increase vs standard Lithium Ion.

Not much more than that though, yeah.

Chinese EVs (Tesla ?? Its complicated) uses Li-Fe (Aka: Lithium Iron).

There's been a huge number of chemical advances in the Li-ion / Li-Poly / Li-Fe markets. Its all called Li-ion, but they're all very, very different. Its actually why recycling is so hard, because unlike Lead-Acid, the chemistries of these "Li-ion" are completely non-standard and quickly changing.

 

[R-T-B]

Still, the differences are small. Don't worry about it.

I wasn't really, other than recycling concerns that is, as noted above.

 

[TumbleGeorge]

New Ford LFP battery plant in Michigan up to 2026. With technology from China.

 

[erocker]

Ugh, need to get away from lithium.