EV Batteries without Cobalt, testing Chinese company

EVs use lithium-ion batteries to store electricity and this type of battery requires cobalt to be manufactured, because this material enhances its energy density, but also its lifespan, since it keeps the structure of lithium ions stable.

However, not everything is so rosy. Cobalt is not in line with the environmentally friendly profile of electric cars. Also, the proliferation of electric and hybrid cars has sharply increased its demand, so its price is rising, while the reserves on the planet are dwindling, raising questions about whether we will be able to find it for many years to come.

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But there is another significant negative in the use of cobalt. Most of the cobalt mining (66% rate) takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and there, thousands of children are used in the unhealthy process that brings the material to the surface. Somehow, too many car factories are trying to expel the cobalt from the batteries of their cars and it seems that the road has been found, by a Chinese company.

The prototype battery they built has a capacity of 82.5 kWh. It was placed in a vehicle of Great Wall Motors (Chinese car brand) and allows it to move for 600 kilometers on a charge. The performance of the vehicle is particularly impressive with 0-100 km/h coming in about 5 seconds, while the manufacturers of the battery claim that its reliability is at the same level as the classic cobalt-based lithium-ions.

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