Hydrogen research at @Toyota leads to a better battery https://t.co/QUIhxa5uZk pic.twitter.com/6dIPOl3yMz
— Liberationtech (@Liberationtech) May 6, 2016
One of the keys to a greener future with electric cars is getting battery range comparable to a gasoline-powered car. Currently, some of the highest-range electric vehicles are barely scraping by 200 miles, while gasoline vehicles continue to soar to higher ranges topping 600 miles.
The problem is finding a battery that is as energy-dense as gasoline -- not an easy challenge.
There have been slow but steady advances, however. The Toyota Prius used to run on a nickel-metal hydride battery, but has recently upgraded to a lithium-ion battery that can store the same amount of electricity in a fraction of the space, meaning lighter vehicles and more trunk space is possible.
The golden goose every energy researcher is hunting, however, is the magnesium-ion battery. Magnesium is more energy-rich, and more chemically stable than lithium, and inside an electric vehicle, could be the solution to range woes.
Until now, the electrolyte needed to make a magnesium battery work has been elusive. Now, Toyota research scientists may have come upon the answer by accident. One researcher was working on hydrogen-storage materials for the zero-emission Mirai, while her coworkers were investigating battery technology. She realized the material she was developing had exactly the properties needed for an electrolyte.
Learn more about how Toyota's quest to create ever-better new vehicles could be driving the future of battery technology everywhere, at DCH Toyota of Oxnard.
