In the city of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, a breakthrough in battery technology is helping to overcome one of the biggest challenges for electric vehicles: limited driving range. Researchers at the Ningbo Institute of Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed a new type of aluminum-air battery that uses graphene, offering a significant leap in energy density and performance.
This kilowatt-class battery has an energy density more than four times that of current lithium-ion batteries. With just one kilogram of aluminum, an electric vehicle can travel up to 60 kilometers, effectively doubling its range. This innovation holds great promise as a range extender for electric vehicles, addressing the widespread concern of "range anxiety."
The battery system features an energy density of 510Wh/kg, a capacity of 20kWh, and an output power of 1,000W. During testing, it successfully powered a TV, a computer, an electric fan, and ten 60W light bulbs simultaneously, proving its potential for real-world applications.
Liu Zhaoping, director of the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Graphene Application Research, highlighted the benefits of using this battery in electric vehicles, stating that it could reduce vehicle weight while significantly increasing range. Additionally, if used in portable charging devices, it could offer higher output power. Compared to traditional lead-acid batteries used in communication base stations, which need replacement every 3–4 years, the aluminum-air battery developed by Ningbo Materials can last up to 15 years, making it a much longer-lasting solution.
According to Liu, the aluminum-air battery offers advantages such as high energy density, low cost, abundant resources, environmental friendliness, and a long discharge life. These features make it highly attractive for use in communication base station backup power systems and as a range extender for electric vehicles.
Recent global research on metal-air batteries has not slowed down, but industrial development still faces several technical challenges, including improving electrode power density and achieving better anode utilization. However, the integration of graphene has brought significant progress to this field.
Xue Yejian, a senior engineer at the Power Lithium Battery Engineering Laboratory of the Ningbo Institute of Materials Science, explained that the team used a graphene-composite manganese-based oxide catalyst and a new graphene-based high-efficiency air cathode. This advancement increased the power density of individual cells by 25%, greatly enhancing the overall performance of metal-air batteries.
The research team is currently working on developing a 5kW high-power aluminum-air battery system for use in communication base station backup power and as an electric vehicle range extender. In addition, the Ningbo Materials Institute has invested 3 million yuan to purchase a non-standard production line, which is expected to be completed by the end of August. This pilot line will be capable of producing 35,000 metal-air battery cathodes annually, paving the way for future mass production of this "super energy battery."
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