Recent and continuing research into lithium batteries promises to enhance performance and increase the demand for the element, with innovations in manufacturing lowering the cost of making products which utilize lithium, such as electric vehicles.
Enhancing performance and increasing demand
Hybrid
Vehicles
Hybrid vehicles have batteries that assist the engine and boost the power of their electric motors, meaning that the vehicle can go further when combined with a combustion engine, as in traditional vehicles. Regenerative braking also helps to recharge the batteries.
Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles
These vehicles produce fewer emissions, use less gasoline and are charged via an electric plug. They are plugged into an electrical wall socket and are able to drive solely on battery power. If it is not plugged in and charged, the vehicle operates the same way a standard hybrid vehicle does.
Electric
Vehicles
Powered by a large bank of batteries, these cars have no gasoline engine and are charged the same way as plug-in hybrid vehicles, while regenerative braking helps to recharge the batteries. With modern lithium-ion batteries, electric cars are able to go increasingly further distances. With production costs decreasing, electric cars will soon become a cost-effective mode of transport for the majority of drivers.
Electric Vehicles Are Better Vehicles
Efficiency
Electric cars use less energy than traditional gasoline vehicles and require less energy to go the same distance. They are also able to convert and use energy created by alternative sources such as friction in the form of regenerative braking. It is reported that electric vehicles only require one-third of the energy a gas-powered car requires for the same performance.
Cost
Electric cars are cheaper to run than conventional cars, with driving on electricity up to 50% cheaper as it’s more efficient and less expensive than gasoline. Electric cars are currently more expensive than gas-powered cars. But with the costs decreasing due to improved technology and scaled-up production, we can expect to see the price fall dramatically in the near future.
Emissions
Electric cars have no emissions, and with economies gradually turning away from greenhouse-gas sources and to renewables, the emissions advantage will be amplified and we could even see subsidies come into play in favor of electric cars.
Convenience
Unlike owners of conventional gas cars, electric car owners can ‘refill’ at home; just pull into your garage and plug in. Being able to charge electric cars from home means they can be left to charge overnight.