The Next Step In Car Battery Technology.

New technology means you may never need to charge again

Modern life depends on batteries. But today's battery technology isn't nearly as advanced as we need, often running down at precisely the wrong moment. Scientists have been searching for better batteries since Thomas Edison went looking for a way to power his friend Henry Ford's Model T.

From article, ("Solid state technology is finally taking off,” Josh Duettner-Garrett, CEO of Colorado-based Solid Power, told NBC News.

His firm, which focuses on developing solid state batteries, this week entered into an alliance with BMW, who already committed to offering some form of battery option for virtually every product it builds over the coming decade, whether conventional hybrid, plug-in or pure battery-electric vehicle, or BEV.

Today’s lithium-ion batteries are a big improvement over early lead-acid, nickel-cadmium and nickel-metal hydride technologies. But the new long-range vehicles coming to market, like the 200-plus mile Tesla Model 3 and Chevrolet Bolt, require over 700 pounds of batteries.

Complicating matters, it can take hours to recharge. And lithium technology isn’t cheap. Prices for automotive batteries have tumbled from around $700 a kilowatt hour in 2010 to less than $200 today, according to industry data. But that still adds up to more than $10,000 for the 60 kilowatt-hours needed to power a car for 200 miles.

Solid state technology is expected to make big leaps in three critical areas, according to experts, among other things packing in at least twice the power in a given size of battery – what experts call energy density. Eventually, that could more than double again.

That would let an automaker halve the size of its battery pack for the same range – or deliver at least double the distance between charges. Or they could strike a balance between range and increased performance, offering a 300-mile SUV, for example, with sports car acceleration.

Solid state batteries also offer the potential for ultra-quick charging, said Duettner-Garrett. “The Holy Grail is to have…recharging your vehicle mirror the experience of refueling your gasoline vehicle.” In other words, just five to 10 minutes.

As for price, a recent study by the Boston Consulting Group estimated lithium-ion batteries will drop to $70 a kilowatt-hour within five years. But solid state, said analyst Xavier Mosquet, could be 20 percent cheaper.

The new technology is called solid state because it replaces the liquid electrolyte in today’s batteries with ceramic materials. That’s yet another plus because the liquid in lithium-ion cells is as flammable as gasoline – which is why airlines have banned them from their cargo holds. Several crashes and other incidents have been caused by defective lithium batteries.)