We might have new kind of batteries soon, courtesy Honda

MANILA: How about batteries with higher energy density, more storage capacities, and better heat resistant capabilities? Wait, what about better ranger and charging times as well? Excited? So are we!

In a recent research, where Honda Research Institute, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory joined hands together to find an alternative to the much conventional lithium-ion. During the research, the researchers tried fluoride-ion instead of lithium-ion as a means of energy and it proved successful too. The new batteries should be able to provide with better energy density and will also be producing lesser carbon footprint.

The fluoride-ion batteries come with several advantages over the lithium-ion batteries which we use today. As mentioned before, they offer higher energy density, do not catch fire due to overheating, and are much more environment-friendly. According to Honda, the fluoride-ion batteries will possess energy densities of up to ten times than the current batteries.

Dr. Christopher Brooks, who is the Chief Scientist at Honda Research Institute and co-author of the paper, said about the research, “Fluoride-ion batteries offer a promising new battery chemistry with up to ten times more energy density than currently available lithium batteries. Unlike Li-ion batteries, FIBs do not pose a safety risk due to overheating, and obtaining the source materials for FIBs creates considerably less environmental impact than the extraction process for lithium and cobalt”.

But solutions come problems, and so did this one. To operate, temperatures over 150 degrees Celsius are required by the fluoride-ion batteries. However, Honda came up with an electrochemical cell. This cell can operate at room temperature and the fluoride-ion batteries can also be operated along with the cell under 150 degrees Celsius. The world resides on hope, therefore, we hope Honda is successful in developing the new batteries for the betterment of both the human civilisation and the environment as well.