#EV Battery Efficiency

[nnctales]

How Can Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Be Used For Designing Better EV Battery And Thermal Management Systems (BTMS)

Introduction Electric vehicle batteries are transforming how we move, live, and work. Architects and engineers have a crucial role in shaping the future of EVs and their integration with buildings and infrastructure. By understanding electric vehicle batteries’ challenges and opportunities, they can create innovative and sustainable solutions that benefit both people and the planet. However, EVs…

[techdriveplay]

What Are the Best Electric Cars with the Longest Range?

Electric vehicles (EVs) have rapidly evolved, offering impressive range capabilities that rival traditional petrol-powered cars. For many potential buyers, the question, “What are the best electric cars with the longest range?” has become a central concern. A vehicle’s range can make the difference between a smooth, stress-free journey and frequent stops at charging stations. This article delves…

[entertainment-and-you]

Hydrogen vs. Batteries: Why Lithium Reigns Supreme (for Now) in Electric Vehicles

The dream of clean transportation powered by hydrogen fuel cells seems straightforward: burn clean fuel made from water. However, a closer look reveals significant energy losses throughout the hydrogen life cycle, making it less efficient than lithium-ion batteries, the current leader in electric vehicles (EVs). The Energy Drain of Hydrogen Production: Separating hydrogen from water…

[jcmarchi]

New Test Rules - Less Range for Teslas - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-test-rules-less-range-for-teslas-technology-org/

New Test Rules - Less Range for Teslas - Technology Org

Tesla has revised down its driving-range estimates for its electric vehicle lineup due to new U.S. government regulations.

Tesla Model S Bluefire at Tesla service center – illustrative photo. Image credit: Tesla Fans Schweiz via Unsplash, free license

The new regulations are aimed at ensuring more accurate real-world performance reporting. In the past, Tesla has faced criticism for providing range estimates that were higher than what its cars could deliver.

In October, Tesla disclosed that federal investigators had subpoenaed the company for information related to the driving range of its vehicles. The driving range has been a crucial factor in marketing Tesla’s electric vehicles and other EV models, especially in the U.S., where consumers often express concerns about the availability of public charging infrastructure for battery-powered cars.

Recent adjustments made by Tesla have resulted in lower driving range estimates for various models, such as the Model Y Long Range and the performance variant of the Model Y.

The updated regulations mandate automakers to conduct tests for electric vehicles (EVs) in their “default” driving mode, the setting the car employs upon initial activation. Many modern vehicles, including Teslas, feature various driving modes designed to optimize either efficiency or power.

In cases where a car lacks a default or standard driving mode, the EPA requires automakers to test the vehicle in both its best-case and worst-case modes for efficiency, with the results averaged.

Tesla, in its marketing pages, does not specify a model year for the estimated ranges of its models. Tesla’s driving modes, such as “Chill” mode for efficiency and “Drag Strip Mode” for enhanced acceleration in performance models, are outlined in the 2023 Tesla owners’ manuals available online. The Model Y owner’s manual suggests using “Chill Mode” to maximize range.

According to EPA spokesperson Nick Conger, automakers commonly adjust efficiency estimates for a new model year when changes or updates to test procedures yield new data. It remains unclear if Tesla applied range estimate reductions to every variant of each model.

Automakers independently conduct tests for range and fuel efficiency estimates for promotional purposes, but they must strictly adhere to EPA guidelines. The EPA also conducts retests on a specific number of vehicles to verify the accuracy of manufacturers’ figures.

Tesla’s adjustments to range estimates varied, with some being minor, such as the shift from a 333-mile estimated range to 326 miles for the Model X Plaid variant. In contrast, other changes were more substantial, like the reduction of the estimate for the Model S Plaid, a luxury sport sedan, from 396 miles to 359 miles.

Written by Alius Noreika

[nepalenergyforum]

Nepal's Lithium Ion Battery Revolution: A Clean and Sustainable Path Forward

Nepal, a nation known for its stunning natural beauty, rich culture, and resilient people, is also a country that faces a unique set of energy challenges. With a significant portion of its population residing in remote and hilly regions, ensuring reliable and sustainable energy sources is a pressing concern. Traditionally, lead-acid batteries have been the go-to choice for energy storage in…

[reasonsforhope]

Green energy is in its heyday. 

Renewable energy sources now account for 22% of the nation’s electricity, and solar has skyrocketed eight times over in the last decade. This spring in California, wind, water, and solar power energy sources exceeded expectations, accounting for an average of 61.5 percent of the state's electricity demand across 52 days. 

But green energy has a lithium problem. Lithium batteries control more than 90% of the global grid battery storage market. 

That’s not just cell phones, laptops, electric toothbrushes, and tools. Scooters, e-bikes, hybrids, and electric vehicles all rely on rechargeable lithium batteries to get going. 

Fortunately, this past week, Natron Energy launched its first-ever commercial-scale production of sodium-ion batteries in the U.S. 

“Sodium-ion batteries offer a unique alternative to lithium-ion, with higher power, faster recharge, longer lifecycle and a completely safe and stable chemistry,” said Colin Wessells — Natron Founder and Co-CEO — at the kick-off event in Michigan. 

The new sodium-ion batteries charge and discharge at rates 10 times faster than lithium-ion, with an estimated lifespan of 50,000 cycles.

Wessells said that using sodium as a primary mineral alternative eliminates industry-wide issues of worker negligence, geopolitical disruption, and the “questionable environmental impacts” inextricably linked to lithium mining. 

“The electrification of our economy is dependent on the development and production of new, innovative energy storage solutions,” Wessells said. 

Why are sodium batteries a better alternative to lithium?

The birth and death cycle of lithium is shadowed in environmental destruction. The process of extracting lithium pollutes the water, air, and soil, and when it’s eventually discarded, the flammable batteries are prone to bursting into flames and burning out in landfills. 

There’s also a human cost. Lithium-ion materials like cobalt and nickel are not only harder to source and procure, but their supply chains are also overwhelmingly attributed to hazardous working conditions and child labor law violations. 

Sodium, on the other hand, is estimated to be 1,000 times more abundant in the earth’s crust than lithium. 

“Unlike lithium, sodium can be produced from an abundant material: salt,” engineer Casey Crownhart wrote ​​in the MIT Technology Review. “Because the raw ingredients are cheap and widely available, there’s potential for sodium-ion batteries to be significantly less expensive than their lithium-ion counterparts if more companies start making more of them.”

What will these batteries be used for?

Right now, Natron has its focus set on AI models and data storage centers, which consume hefty amounts of energy. In 2023, the MIT Technology Review reported that one AI model can emit more than 626,00 pounds of carbon dioxide equivalent. 

“We expect our battery solutions will be used to power the explosive growth in data centers used for Artificial Intelligence,” said Wendell Brooks, co-CEO of Natron. 

“With the start of commercial-scale production here in Michigan, we are well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for efficient, safe, and reliable battery energy storage.”

The fast-charging energy alternative also has limitless potential on a consumer level, and Natron is eying telecommunications and EV fast-charging once it begins servicing AI data storage centers in June. 

On a larger scale, sodium-ion batteries could radically change the manufacturing and production sectors — from housing energy to lower electricity costs in warehouses, to charging backup stations and powering electric vehicles, trucks, forklifts, and so on. 

“I founded Natron because we saw climate change as the defining problem of our time,” Wessells said. “We believe batteries have a role to play.”

-via GoodGoodGood, May 3, 2024

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Note: I wanted to make sure this was legit (scientifically and in general), and I'm happy to report that it really is! x, x, x, x

[rockyy133]

The shocking truth about EV batteries: 1000 km on just 10 min! | Carcastics

now there's a new technology that could make that possible! In this video, we'll explain the stunning new solid state battery technology and show you how it works. This technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we use electric vehicles, and we'll explain how in this video. So be sure to watch it to learn about this groundbreaking new battery technology!

[monicascot]

The shocking truth about EV batteries: 1000 km on just 10 min! | Carcastics

Have you ever wished you could drive your car for 1000km without needing to recharge? Well, now there's a new technology that could make that possible! In this video, we'll explain the stunning new solid state battery technology and show you how it works.

[dipnots]

Portable EV Chargers: Charge Your Electric Vehicle Anywhere, Anytime

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their environmental benefits, lower running costs, and technological advancements. However, one of the main concerns of owning an EV is finding a charging station when you’re on the road. This is where portable EV chargers come in. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of portable EV chargers and how they work. EXPLORE…

[decolonize-the-everything]

Why are they mining so much right now?

Cobalt has become the center of a major upsurge in mining in Congo, and the rapid acceleration of cobalt extraction in the region since 2013 has brought hundreds of thousands of people into intimate contact with a powerful melange of toxic metals. The frantic pace of cobalt extraction in Katanga bears close resemblance to another period of rapid exploitation of Congolese mineral resources: During the last few years of World War II, the U.S. government sourced the majority of the uranium necessary to develop the first atomic weapons from a single Congolese mine, named Shinkolobwe. The largely forgotten story of those miners, and the devastating health and ecological impacts uranium production had on Congo, looms over the country now as cobalt mining accelerates to feed the renewable energy boom—with little to no protections for workers involved in the trade.

The city of Kolwezi, which is 300 km (186 miles) northwest of Lubumbashi and 180 km from the now-abandoned Shinkolobwe mine, sits on top of nearly half of the available cobalt in the world. The scope of the contemporary scramble for that metal in Katanga has totally transformed the region. Enormous open-pit mines worked by tens of thousands of miners form vast craters in the landscape and are slowly erasing the city itself.

[...]Much of the cobalt in Congo is mined by hand: Workers scour the surface level seams with picks, shovels, and lengths of rebar, sometimes tunneling by hand 60 feet or more into the earth in pursuit of a vein of ore. This is referred to as artisanal mining, as opposed to the industrial mining carried out by large firms. The thousands of artisanal miners who work at the edges of the formal mines run by big industrial concerns make up 90 percent of the nation’s mining workforce and produce 30 percent of its metals. Artisanal mining is not as efficient as larger-scale industrial mining, but since the miners produce good-quality ore with zero investment in tools, infrastructure, or safety, the ore they sell to buyers is as cheap as it gets. Forced and child labor in the supply chain is not uncommon here, thanks in part to a significant lack of controls and regulations on artisanal mining from the government.

[...]When later atomic research found that uranium’s unstable nucleus could be used to make a powerful bomb, the U.S. Army’s Manhattan Project began searching for a reliable source of uranium. They found it through Union Minière, which sold the United States the first 1,000 tons it needed to get the bomb effort off the ground.

The Manhattan Project sent agents of the OSS, precursor to the CIA, to Congo from 1943 to 1945 to supervise the reopening of the mine and the extraction of Shinkolobwe’s ore—and to make sure none of it fell into the hands of the Axis powers. Every piece of rock that emerged from the mine for almost two decades was purchased by the Manhattan Project and its successors in the Atomic Energy Commission, until the mine was closed by the Belgian authorities on the eve of Congolese independence in 1960. After that, the colonial mining enterprise Union Minière became the national minerals conglomerate Gécamines, which retained much of the original structure and staff.

[...]Dr. Lubaba showed me the small battery-operated Geiger counters that he uses in the field to measure radioactivity. He had begun the process of trying to find and interview the descendants of the Shinkolobwe miners, but he explained that tracing the health consequences of working in that specific mine would be difficult: Many long-established villages in the area have been demolished and cast apart as cobalt extraction has torn through the landscape. His initial inquiries suggested that at least some of the descendants of the Shinkolobwe miners had been drawn into the maelstrom of digging in the region around Kolwezi.

In her book Being Nuclear: Africans and the Global Uranium Trade, historian Gabrielle Hecht recounts the U.S. Public Health Service’s efforts to investigate the effects of uranium exposure on people who worked closely with the metal and the ore that bore it. In 1956, a team of medical researchers from the PHS paid a visit to Shinkolobwe while the mine was still producing more than half of the uranium used in America’s Cold War missile programs. Most of their questions went unanswered, however, as Shinkolobwe’s operators had few official records to share and stopped responding to communications as soon as the researchers left.

[...]“Don’t ever use that word in anybody’s presence. Not ever!” Williams quotes OSS agent Wilbur Hogue snapping at a subordinate who had said the mine’s name in a café in Congo’s capital. “There’s something in that mine that both the United States and Germany want more than anything else in the world. I don’t know what it’s for. We’re not supposed to know.”

[stupittmoran]

“The study, published by emissions data firm Emission Analytics…found that brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern tailpipes, which have ‘efficient’ exhaust filters, bringing gas-powered vehicles’ emissions to new lows.

As heavy cars drive on light-duty tires — most often made with synthetic rubber made from crude oil and other fillers and additives — they deteriorate and release harmful chemicals into the air, according to Emission Analytics.

Because EVs are on average 30% heavier, brakes and tires on the battery-powered cars wear out faster than on standard cars.

Emission Analytics found that tire wear emissions on half a metric tonne of battery weight in an EV are more than 400 times as great as direct exhaust particulate emissions.”

[techdriveplay]

What Should You Know About Regenerative Braking Systems?

Regenerative braking systems have become a key feature in modern vehicles, particularly in electric and hybrid cars. This advanced technology not only enhances efficiency but also contributes to the overall sustainability of automotive transportation. In today’s push toward eco-friendly solutions, understanding how regenerative braking systems work and the benefits they offer can help drivers…

[sextoyshowforherandforhim]

Delve into the world of versatile pleasure with unique vibrating click tickler options, offering diverse experiences at your fingertips. Efficient battery conservation ensures lasting enjoyment. Use promo code HUB50 at adamandeve.com for an exclusive 50% discount and step into a world of fun.

[jcmarchi]

Electric vs. Gasoline Vehicles: Is EV Ownership Competitive in Your Area? - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/electric-vs-gasoline-vehicles-is-ev-ownership-competitive-in-your-area-technology-org/

Electric vs. Gasoline Vehicles: Is EV Ownership Competitive in Your Area? - Technology Org

An electric car. Image credit: Pixnio, CC0 Public Domain

University of Michigan researchers say that where you live matters. For instance, a midsize SUV costs more to own in Detroit than in San Francisco—one of the most expensive cities in the country.

Cumulative recurring costs for a midsize SUV across platforms—traditional gasoline, hybrid and electric—are higher in some cities when taking key factors into account: financing, annual fees, insurance, maintenance, repairs and fuel costs.

As the transportation sector transforms to reduce carbon emissions—with a shift toward electric vehicles—researchers at the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability reviewed and analyzed the cost of owning any of these three vehicle platforms across 14 cities in the United States. In addition to accounting for the many components of vehicle ownership, they also evaluated how each component changes with vehicle size, powertrain, location, use patterns and over time.

Their study, published in the Journal of Industrial Ecology, found that gasoline vehicles are generally less expensive to purchase. Still, electric vehicles are less expensive over time through lower maintenance, repair and fuel costs. Whether or not the EV will break even with a similar gas vehicle depends on where the vehicle is operated, how the vehicle is charged and driven, and the size and range of the vehicle. 

“Electric vehicle sales have seen significant growth, accounting for 8% of light-duty vehicle sales through May 2023, compared to 2% in 2020,” said study lead author Maxwell Woody, a doctoral student at the School for Environment and Sustainability and researcher at the school’s Center for Sustainable Systems.

Key findings include:

Location matters: Across the 14 cities studied, the total cost of ownership of an electric midsize SUV varied by $52,000—nearly 40%—over the vehicle’s entire lifetime. New York City and Detroit have the highest insurance costs. For gasoline vehicles, refueling is most expensive in San Francisco and Los Angeles and least expensive in Houston and Dallas. For electric vehicles, charging is most expensive in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Boston, and least expensive in Atlanta, Chicago and Cleveland. 

Charging scenarios: Different charging behaviors play a crucial role in total cost of ownership. Compared to using public charging, home charging lowers lifetime costs by $10,000 on average, and up to $26,000, even when including the cost of installing a charger. Many cities have time-of-use electricity rates, offering lower prices for charging a vehicle overnight—an important consideration for potential electric vehicle owners.

Vehicle and battery size: Small and low-range electric vehicles are less expensive than similarly sized gas vehicles across all 14 cities in the study. Larger, long-range EVs are more expensive than their gas counterparts, while midsize EVs can reach cost parity in some cities.

Incentives: Federal incentives, such as the $7,500 federal tax credit, play a pivotal role in accelerating the break-even point between electric vehicles and gasoline vehicles. In some cities, federal incentives can be combined with several thousand dollars of state and local incentives. 

Equity consideration: The higher purchase price of EVs is a challenge for low-income households, but operating costs offer savings compared to hybrid and traditional gas vehicles. Ensuring equitable access to home charging infrastructure, especially for renters and those in multifamily dwellings, is essential for a just transition to electrified transportation.

The study not only highlights the importance of electrification in reducing carbon emissions but also underscores the need for a nuanced understanding of the total cost of ownership.

“Our findings show that electric vehicles can be cost-competitive with gasoline vehicles for the 14 cities we studied across the US,” said senior author Gregory Keoleian, U-M professor of environment and sustainability and director of the Center for Sustainability Systems. “In addition to charging cost advantages for electric vehicles over gasoline fueling costs, there are lower maintenance and repair costs.” 

Electric vehicles are expected to become even more cost competitive as battery efficiency and manufacturing processes improve and if gasoline prices continue to escalate faster than electricity prices.

The shift toward electric vehicles plays a pivotal role in the effort to reduce carbon emissions in the transportation sector, the researchers say.

“In 2021, transportation was the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, accounting for 28% of total emissions,” Woody said. “EVs can help reduce emissions, but they need to be affordable. 

“The cost difference between electric and gasoline vehicles depends on many individual and regional factors. Right now, an EV is less expensive for some users in some locations but there are strategies that both users and the government can take to make EVs less expensive for more users and in more locations.”

Source: University of Michigan

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[tanadrin]

Is there any way to stop climate change without keeping the third world in poverty and unable to develop?

These two things seem totally unrelated to me. Like, an equivalent question would be "is there any way to stop climate change without feeding babies into the Giant Baby Smashing Machine?" and I would say, yes? There absolutely is? Are we feeding babies into the giant baby smashing machine? If so we should stop that.

AIUI China has been making phenomenal strides building nuclear power and rolling out EVs, and the US has experienced a massive expansion of renewables thanks in large part to the Biden administration working to reduce capital costs. It's sort of both the best of times and the worst of times in the fight against climate change--but then, that is almost true by definition, since rising CO2 levels will mean rising global temperatures until the fight is actually won. IIRC China's emissions are expected to basically plateau in the near future and then begin declining after that? So that's a huge win right there.

The great thing about renewable tech is that once you develop efficient solar/wind and efficient battery storage (and we've made huge progress on the batteries thing in the last several years, apparently; grid-scale battery storage is quickly becoming a reality), you can export the tech to other countries. So if developed countries can decarbonize, I don't know why developing countries couldn't.