UK (CU)_ As more people make the switch to electric vehicles (EV) and many countries set to implement mandatory use of EVs in the coming years, its efficiency will most definitely be a key focal point. A study that appeared in the journal Nature Communications and conducted by the University of Cambridge have found an algorithm that can effectively reduce battery degradation and charging duration.
The researchers observed how various driving patterns impact the health of electric batteries and stated that the commercial application could use the algorithm to suggest routes that drivers can use to get to their destination in a minimum duration, absent of any battery degradation.
Penelope Jones, from Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory stated that battery health like human health depends on many different factors and can degrade in a wide variety of ways. Jones further stated that from the many ways of monitoring battery health, battery use in different ways are not taken into account further indicating that streaming a video on a phone will reduce battery power much faster than sending a message and stated that the same goes for car batteries.
Economic factors and durability are key drawbacks for many consumers considering the purchase of an EV or when making the switch from gas vehicle to an EV. Lead researcher Dr Alpha Lee stated that most of us change our mobile phone batteries well before it become unusable, but car batteries need to last over 5 to 10 years and further said that battery capacity can change drastically after a certain period, hence more effective ways of monitoring battery health were needed.
The study found a way of using a non-invasive probe transmitting high-dimensional electrical pulses into a battery and records the response, providing a series of ‘biomarkers’ of battery health. The study focused on lithium cobalt oxide cells, commonly used in rechargeable batteries, however researchers stated that the new technique can be applied to other battery chemistries as well.
