Engineers at the University of California, San Diego have developed lithium-ion batteries that
Such batteries could allow electric vehicles in cold climates to travel farther without recharging.
They can also reduce the need for cooling systems to keep vehicle batteries from overheating in hot climates.
During testing, experimental batteriesretained 87.5% and 115.9% of their energy intensity at -40 and 50°C, respectively. They also had a high efficiency of 98.2% and 98.7% at these temperatures, respectively, which means the batteries can go through more charge and discharge cycles before failing.
Now scientists want to optimize the batteries to operate at even higher temperatures and extend their lifespan.