Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular by the day.
They help reduce pollution and are seen as a cleaner alternative to traditional fuel-based cars.
But what powers these EVs? Well, right now, most of them use batteries made of a material called lithium-ion.
But researchers from Edith Cowan University (ECU) have some exciting news! They say zinc-air batteries might be the next big thing for EVs.
Why not lithium-ion?
Lithium-ion batteries are popular and used in many gadgets like phones and laptops.
But they have some issues. For example:
They can be expensive.
There’s not an endless supply of lithium.
There are safety concerns.
Dr. Muhammad Rizwan Azhar from ECU has been studying batteries. He and his team believe that zinc-air batteries can solve these problems.
What’s So Cool About Zinc-Air Batteries?
Zinc-air batteries use zinc (a type of metal) and air to work. Here are some cool things about them:
They are cheaper.
They’re more friendly to our planet.
They can store a lot of energy.
They’re safer than lithium-ion batteries.
These batteries could be a game-changer for the new EVs that can travel long distances. They might even be used in electric planes!
But wait, there’s a catch. Zinc-air batteries used to have some issues:
They couldn’t produce power for a long time. They didn’t last very long.
The ECU Breakthrough!
The smart people at ECU have found a way to fix these problems.
They’ve changed the battery’s design using some new materials like carbon and cheaper minerals like iron and cobalt. This new design has made the batteries work much better!
Dr. Azhar said that these changes have made the batteries super efficient. They can now produce power for a long time and last much longer.
What’s even cooler? These batteries are good for our planet. They help reduce the use of fossil fuels, which harm the environment. And since countries like Australia have a lot of zinc and we have endless amounts of air, these batteries can be made without spending too much money!
We all know that the sun doesn’t always shine, and the wind doesn’t always blow. That’s why sources of energy like solar and wind power can’t be relied upon all the time. But with the new and improved zinc-air batteries, we have a reliable way to store energy.
Plus, Australia has committed to helping the world become more eco-friendly. They’ve agreed to the goals set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, which aims to reduce harm to our planet. These new batteries are a step in that direction.
Key Takeaways
The future of EVs and our planet looks a little brighter thanks to the hard work of researchers like Dr. Azhar and his team.
With zinc-air batteries, we might have a better, cheaper, and more eco-friendly way to power our cars and other devices. Who knew that zinc and air could be such a powerful combo?
The study was published in the journal EcoMat.
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Source: Edith Cowan University.
