Analysis of the present and prediction of the future of Li batteries applied to electric transport vehicles

Abstract

Conventional combustion cars are a problem due to their high CO₂ emissions. It has been calculated that a quarter of carbon dioxide emitted by human activities comes from transport vehicles. The objective is to decarbonize vehicles by electrifying them with the use of lithium batteries as an energy source that allows their mobility to evolve towards a more sustainable future. The bibliographic analysis shows the different types of lithium batteries that can be useful in vehicles and the forecast of the evolution according to the different scenarios, costs, available materials and performance. Lithium-ion batteries are the most used currently and vary according to the composition of the cathode. The most prominent currently are NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) and LFP (lithium iron phosphate) There are also other types of lithium batteries that are used less often, such as Li-polymer, which are one of the options used in some light electric vehicles. Emerging technologies and innovations are key to developing Li-ion batteries with materials that can improve consumption thanks to the positive evolution of the economy and availability. Seeing the evolution of prices of components such as nickel and cobalt, vehicles with LFP batteries are increasingly being chosen. There are several alternatives to try to achieve different objectives. A more economical way would be to replace Li+ with Na+ (Na-ion batteries). Another possibility for improvement would be Li-S batteries due to their performance. This type of battery has a greater energy capacity, favoring high efficiency. To focus on the possibility of evolution towards the change from combustion vehicles to implementing lithium batteries in electric vehicles, it is necessary to take into account electrochemistry, sustainability, the possibility of obtaining essential materials for their production and above all the cost they would have on the market.