https://www.sustainablematters.eu https://www.sustainablematters.eu/battery-terminology-you-need-to-know <div data-rss-type="text"> <h3> <span> Battery terminology you need to know </span> </h3> </div> <div data-rss-type="text"> <p> <span> The most important part and at the same time, the most controversial part of an electric vehicle (EV) is the battery. Once you start talking about it, all the tall tales emerge of people having to buy a new battery at a very high price because their new electric car no longer has any range. There is always some truth in this, but it is also important to know and be able to describe the underlying information.  </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span> A battery has a certain capacity which determines how much energy can be stored, expressed in kilowatt hours or kWh. The amount of energy a battery contains can be expressed as a percentage of the maximum amount of energy it can hold. This percentage is the state of charge (SoC). Depth of discharge (DoD) then represents how much energy has been discharged. Thus, SoC + DoD = 100%.  </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span> A battery stores chemical energy, to supply or absorb power a chemical reaction takes place, the efficiency of these reactions depends on external factors. Some will have already experienced that at cold temperatures a battery is discharged more quickly. In addition, rapid charging and discharging will also have a negative effect. Discharging too deeply will cause damage. Age will also reduce the efficiency of the reaction. And finally, every charge and discharge cycle will reduce battery capacity. So, it is very important to be able to parameterize the health of a battery. The state of health (SoH) is the still usable capacity of the battery expressed as a percentage of the original capacity. The rule of thumb is that once the SoH is lower than 80% a battery is no longer suitable for EV application. They can then be dismantled to reuse the battery modules for stationary applications, e.g. to store solar or wind energy. When the batteries are no longer sufficient for this second application either, they are recycled. In Belgium, players such as Watt4Ever are already working on repurposing EV batteries.  </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span>   </span> </p> <p> <span> One way to determine the SoH of a battery is to undergo a complete charge and discharge cycle, whereby it is monitored how much energy can be stored in the battery. This will also be necessary in the future for selling used cars, for example. The law of 22 December 2022 requires sellers to state the official range, but experts advocate a SoH certificate. Without knowing the SoH, you pretty much buy a car blind as the battery is so a major part of the already high cost, even for second hand. The SoH is not derivable externally or purely based on kilometers driven as there are so many more factors that have an impact. It is thus important to protect buyers by giving them all the necessary information.  </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span> Theoretical models are also good indicators but not always accurate enough. To apply a theoretical model accurately, the battery life cycle data must be known.  </span> </p> <p> <span> <br/> </span> </p> <p> <span> Battery life and performance can already be modelled during development based on life-cycle models. But if a particular battery constantly has to deliver and absorb very large currents, as is the case, for example, when one often accelerates extremely fast or during fast charging of EVs, it is not unlikely that the SoH will be inadequate sooner than modelled. However, if one is aware of the determining factors and considers them, when possible, battery life can be longer than predicted.  </span> </p> </div> <div> <img src="https://irp.cdn-website.com/3b904ffe/dms3rep/multi/Slide1-2.jpg"/> </div> Sat, 17 Feb 2024 14:01:09 GMT https://www.sustainablematters.eu/battery-terminology-you-need-to-know thumbnail main image https://www.sustainablematters.eu/the-show-must-go-on <div data-rss-type="text"> <h3> <span> Sustainable Matters at the Brussels Autoshow 2024 </span> </h3> </div> <div data-rss-type="text"> <p> <span> In January 2024, Brussels hosted the Autoshow 2024, a new concept and event this year, at the moment when normally the annual autosalon took place. Sustainable Matters was presenting its retrofit MGB electric conversion car as part of the stand of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), MOBI research group. 2 halls further, the brand new MG Cyberster was presented. 55 years of difference, as well as nearly 1 tonne more that the new sports car weights. Of course, not at all the same type of car, and of course, we are not trying to promote that all oldtimers should become electric. But, the beauty of this classic car is a perfect showcase to tell the story of electrification of mobility, as well as the circularity of a business model that can be applied to a number of cases. </span> </p> <p> <span> <span>  </span> </span> </p> <p> <span> Sustainable Matters has started this new venture in 2023 and is planning to work on a number of more types of electric conversions in 2024. The interest of a lot of visitors of the Autoshow - even though sometimes sceptical - and a number of concrete requests received following the event show us that we are working on an important topic to be continued. The show must go on ... </span> </p> </div> <div> <img src="https://irp.cdn-website.com/3b904ffe/dms3rep/multi/autoshow+linkedIn.png"/> </div> Wed, 31 Jan 2024 14:22:30 GMT https://www.sustainablematters.eu/the-show-must-go-on thumbnail main image