Battery weight is coming down

Lithium-sulphur batteries, which are lighter and cheaper than today’s models, may be the next generation of power cells that we use in electric cars or mobile phones – if scientists can get them to last for longer.

The main attraction is that they can store much more energy than a similar battery using current lithium-ion (Li-ion) technology. That means they can last substantially longer on a single charge.

They can also be manufactured in plants where Li-ion batteries are made – so it should be relatively straightforward to put them into production.

Rather than using costly cobalt, which is vulnerable to fragile global supply chains, they use sulphur, which is a cheap raw material available as a by-product of the oil industry. And their costs per unit of power can offer substantial savings.

So what is the hold-up?

The main problem is that current lithium-sulphur (Li-S) batteries cannot be recharged enough times before they fail to make them commercially viable.

https://ec.europa.eu/research-and-innovation/en/horizon-magazine/cheaper...

Driving distances for EVs are still on the low side, max 400 miles (with marketing exaggeration) in *nice* weather (freezing temps will kill that performance), so maybe a solid 600 miles in winter weather is when they'll have made it and can start slimming down (taking weight off the tires) - another 4-6 years? (time to recharge is also a huge factor - 10 mins to get another 100 miles is likely no big deal - 30 mins is a prob - but we'll be likely hitting the former within 2 years?)

So this worry about tire particles will largely be solved by year 2030 (as will more of that exhaust prob).