I am in batteries engineering for over 15 years. I also can tell you within the specialists magazines app. every half year
"THE magic" battery cell (chemics) is announced, revolutionizing the complete battery market, extreme capacity, very high currents, no self discharge at all, extremely long life, absolutely safe.... no disadvantages at all, advantages only.... and then, you'll never hear from them again.
The only cell (chemics) I observed that was actually realized within my 15 years in this field is FePO4
And those eclosed also not to be the holy grail solving all our problems with one solution.
As always in life it's to chose the right compromise between advantages and disadvantages for your very purpose.
The possibilites are widened by LiIon and FePO4 extremely, of course. And it's very good that those possibilities are used.
I may be (hopefully
) completely wrong, but in my eyes with LiIon we reached the end of what is physically possible with galvanic energy storage. There will be improvements, of course, but do not expect a real great revolutionary leaps in batteries anymore.
You see, there are two crucial - physical - points about this:
The pairing of elements with as much difference in electronegativity as possible, resulting in the voltage.
And the amount of surface area you may pack into a specific volume - how many molcules take part in the electrochemical reactions (stored energy).
With the first there still is some potential - in theory.
The idea of lithium based rechargeble batteries is way over hundred years old. The reason why we have those cells available for mass production only for twenty years is the capability of handling lithium for such a purpose. For higher differences in electronegativity we are not talking about lithium anymore, which in its elemental form is very highly inflammable by any contact of oxygen at normal conditions - we are talking about
metal burning, > 2000°C. Then we are talking fluorine and such "funny" elements.
The second point - the area of the surface, how much chemical stuff is paired over the electrolyte - decides how much capacity can be stored within a volume.
Herein lies the contrast of capacity (Ah/Wh) versus the robustness of a cell. The more surface the more capacity, but also the more touchy, damageable the cell becomes.
Until 2007...2009 the trend of cell's manufacturers was to reach even higher cell's capacities. Sanyo even had a 18650 (standard laptop cell) with outstanding 14Ah.
But it never came available on the market. Why? Because that cell was way too dangerous to put it in the sticky hands of little chimps.
Because there was a significant raise of accidents by LiIon battery packs worlwide at that time (Some may remember the case of the sudden smoking laptop in a lecture room (Japan or USA?), smartphones catching fire in user's trousers, cargo planes catching fire and much more. Not funny at all!
And it always was brought back by media to the origin of the well known cell's manufacturers, even they were not responsible for most of the accidents. So they decided to put priority on safety, not to say foolproofness, instead of more and more powerful cells.
They actually reduced capacity again just to ensure the cells will not catch fire or even explode when treatet badly by silly monkeys.
In two cases I know the cell's manufacturers actually had a quality issue. Sony had brought cells with polluted chemicals making them self-inflammable in consumer products on the market. And in another case Matsushita (Panasonic) "only" flared off their own cell production plant in Japan (very big loss for the whole batteries market for a couple of years.) But those were exceptions, and both companies reacted quickly and intransigently, and also started to audit all of their customers to increase safety.
For nearly all accidents caused by lithium batteries the companies are responsible who carlessly cobble-whacked the packs (I cannot call that "engineered", even not "assembled", maybe "lovelessly nailed together" at most - this also ain't not funny, really, it's actually bizarre what some companies fire on the market and burden their customers with [Always
excluding mobile computer companies and (quality brand) power toolers in this point! They do know their business. There may some minor security issue with a polymer cell in a single smartphone, but the really dangerous times are long over. They know what they risk. They know what they are doing. And they doing it right. No serious issue here.]
I am talking about all the companies who deliver the battery packs for any other company who decided to produce something battery powered. They not seldom actually ignore mandatory security measurements such as protection circuits or UN transportation test - costs money, makes effort, kills time schedules, dispels customers, they buy where are no such
fancy, useless stuff is sold, so skip it! I do not tell made up jokes! I could finger companies by name. That's what really happens, thousands of times every day. You just don't read that much in media, because it's not interesting if not somebody's balls are toasted by a smartphone. Also not few engineers really believe they could do protection circuitry with MCUs (It's a bad idea. Don't do it! But that's another story one could bang his head against the wall and not to be told here.)
However, back to our real topic:
So what we see today is - as I think, electrochemical, galvanic energy-storage - batteries - are already nearly at their highest peak possible.
There will be some improvements of app. 10... maybe 50%. But as I said, don't get your hopes up and expect great, revolutionary leaps anymore.
I don't see it.
So, bottom line:
Batteries are opening possiblities, no question.
But you also have not only to decide, which type of battery you use for what application (lead, ltihium, FePO4, whatever...), you also always have to carefully think of, if it's even a good idea to use a battery anyhow and how.
Especially when you respect the bad effiency factor a battery has
(max. 80% for a high quality
new lithium ion. The battery of the start of this thread may have something about 60% if not even less around 40% [it's the quotient of how much Ah you discharged and Ah charged. You may already have observed that charging lasts longer, and discharge [usage] is shorter, the older the battery becomes. Not only the capacity is reduced by age {internal resistance rises because of molecules are not taking part at the electrochemical reactions anymore} but also the efficiency factor drops rapidly)
you need to keep in mind that a battery by nature it's a bypass technologie, small jumper storage, or for some kind of niche only, but nothing for main purpose such as battery only powered cars - what in my eyes is a complete nonsense bogus.
But, that's also another topic not to be discussed here in this thread. (I hope, I did not really killed it, and charly got his answer for hir original question
)
Enough battery engineering lessons for today.
I don't only write ([too] much) - I also read you and learn by you
Just always keep in mind:
There is no single solution that solves all problems.
Complex problems only can be solved by multiple solutions. (Law of nature)
If anyone announces the one-solution-solves-all-problems, it's
always a markting trick. There is nothing, that has advantages only. If that appears to be, someboday only wants to sell you something, because people want to believe there will be a jack-of-all-trades (would be so easy), and most always buy the next one again, if it's offered
But who I am telling this here?
Of course FreeBSD users are fully aware of that, and don't need to be told.
P.P.S.: Attached a picture from my personal archive to emphasize:
I know what I am talking about. Lithium-Ion batteries needed to be handled with respect.
If engineering is done carefully and correctly, nothing much can happen really.
But if as in many cases "engineering" is just understood as "roughly estimate capacity, attach a wire with a plug at it and ask who can deliver fastest for the lowest price" only, than such could be the result very quickly - lucky if like in this case only a warehouse flared off without any damage to humans or animals.
