Molten salt metal air battery could electrify transportation

Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries can lose energy over time and under certain conditions they overheat while working or charging, which can degrade battery life and reduce miles per charge.

The Engineer Q&A: Battery technology and the future of electrification

Powering up a British battery boom

Now, Nottingham University is collaborating with six scientific research institutes across China to develop an energy store with the combined performance merits of a solid-oxide fuel cell and a metal-air battery. It is claimed the new battery could significantly extend the range of electric vehicles, while being fully recyclable, environmentally friendly, low-cost, and safe.

Solid-oxide fuel cells convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity because of a chemical reaction. They are highly efficient at extracting energy from a fuel, durable, low-cost, and greener to produce, but they are not rechargeable. Metal-air batteries are electrochemical cells that use a cheap metal such as iron and the oxygen present in air to generate electricity. During charging, they emit oxygen into the atmosphere. Although not very durable, these high-energy dense batteries are rechargeable and can store and discharge as much electricity as lithium-ion batteries, but much more safely and cheaply.