Next-Generation Battery Technologies for Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The worldwide move towards sustainable transport has seen electric vehicles (EVs) become the keystone to the mobility systems in the future. Battery technology is central in the performance, safety, affordability, and adoption of EVs. The domineering conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), though, are becoming weaker due to their constraints around energy density, charging rates, thermal safety, lifecycle degradation, availability of raw materials, and environmental effects. Such issues have only served to drive more research into research on next-generation battery technologies that could support the power needs of the applications of EVs in the modern world. This paper comprehensively and systematically reviews the next-generation battery technologies in electric vehicles with solid-state batteries, lithium-sulfur battery, lithium-air battery, sodium-ion battery, and emerging multivalent and hybrid energy storage systems. The article starts with the description of the changes in EV battery performance as concept of energy density and power density, safety, cost, sustainability, and recyclability. A critical review of literature looks into the current developments, experimental innovations, and industrial developments on several battery chemistries. The suggested section of the methodology proposes a comparative techno-economic/performance analysis framework, which incorporates the electrochemical modelling, lifecycle analysis and systems-level optimization. The feasibility of every battery technology in the deployment of EVs is measured by using quantitative performance metrics, degradation models, and efficiency equations. Discussion and results point to the existing trade-offs between competing technologies with a specific focus on the balance between gravimetric energy density, volumetric efficiency, thermal stability, and supply chain resilience. The paper then summarises by identifying areas of research such as knowledge gaps, challenges to commercialisation and ongoing research such as artificial intelligence-assisted materials discovery, scalable manufacturing and standardisation driven by policies. The purpose of this work is to provide a full source of information to the researchers, automotive engineers, policy makers, and those stakeholders in the industry interested in the development of next generation EV battery systems.