New,
scalable battery chemistry possibly on the horizon:
https://insideevs.com/news/575609/tesla-elon-musk-potential-manganese-based-battery/
In order to transition the world to sustainable energy, it is estimated that 300 TWh (terawatt-hour) of batteries are needed. That's a number difficult to get your head around. While the short term concern regarding EVs is semiconductor chips, the long term limiting factor will always be batteries, batteries, batteries. This might help grasp the volume:
1 TWh = 1 billion kWh
A long range Model S has a 100 kWh battery pack.
Therefore, the 300 TWh of batteries needed for global sustainable energy, would be equivalent to 3 BILLION long range Model S battery packs. That's a lot. I imagine there is some play in that 300 TWh estimate, but it's still going to be a ridiculously large amount.
Don't expect any battery breakthroughs using rare materials. The cathode materials need to be common/abundant. Iron, manganese, aluminum, nickel to a lesser extent. Forget cobalt.
Battery recycling needs to increase.
Mining needs to increase
If a new battery form factor or chemistry isn't scalable to high volume, it's not happening. Be wary of next latest and greatest. Profitable, large scale production is very, very difficult (see solid state batteries....30 years and still waiting).
The biggest breakthroughs need to come from the manufacturing side. Lithium-ion cells work. Suppliers need to make them faster.
www.cnbc.com
