Some watchers of the auto industry are still shocked by the rate of sales of EV. Electric vehicles are rapidly rising up the automobile food chain in contrast to the growth of the internal combustion engine. The most recent example is a novel solid state, anode-free Electric Vehicle battery from QuantumScape, a US startup that has a significant milestone. To put sales into perspective, keep in mind that Carl Benz of Germany is credited with producing the first ICE [internal combustion engine] vehicle to be sold commercially in 1886, and nothing fundamental has changed since then.
Motor automobiles advanced to their current stage of growth by the 1890s. According to Martin Melosi, Distinguished University Professor of History and Director of the Institute for Public History at the University of Houston, “the models of that decade were so successful that there hasn’t been any fundamental change in the principles of the ordinary automobile engine since then.”
Solid state EV Battery Journey Begins
Naturally, the ICE sector has changed much since the 1890s, but price is another crucial factor that hasn’t altered much in the previous century or more. Making the transition from individual, ground-up builds to assembly line production was a crucial step.
The Automotive Hall of Fame credits the Olds Motor Vehicle Company with using a stationary assembly line for the first time in 1901 when it started mass producing its “Curved Dash” runabout, though Henry Ford is widely recognized for making ICE vehicles affordable through assembly line affordability. Almost 120 years of engineering and industrial research and growth have created the modern ICE vehicle that is currently on the road. The lithium-ion technology, which was developed in 1972, is the foundation of the contemporary EV battery.
Li-ion batteries experienced a string of setbacks and triumphs in the early 1970s, which significantly shortened the timescale for EV batteries. It wasn’t until 1998 that Nissan unveiled the Altra EV, the first electric vehicle to employ a Li-ion battery. Based on calculations, the current mass-producible lithium-ion Electric Vehicle battery has only undergone roughly 26 years of research and development. It’s even lower when you deduct 2002, when Nissan stopped producing the Altra EV.
The Roadster wasn’t released until 2008, but Tesla stopped manufacturing it in 2012 after selling fewer than 2,500 units. In 2012, the Model S was released in a size that allowed for widespread use. Due in part to the expensive cost of the battery, price parity with ICE vehicles was still a long way off. In light of this, let’s quickly examine the launch of new solid state battery technology. The liquid electrolyte used in lithium-ion EV batteries has always been based on a flammable solution. Safety features have been incorporated into the electrolyte by energy storage inventor, but worries about fire risks and performance constraints have spurred research into solid alternatives like glass and high-tech ceramics.
