US team claims major EV battery breakthrough

Described in Nature Energy, the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery is able to self-heat quickly up to 60 degrees Celsius during charge and discharge, then cool quickly when not in use. It uses a thin nickel foil with one end attached to the negative terminal and the other extending outside the cell to create a third terminal. Once electrons flow, it rapidly heats up the nickel foil through resistance heating and warms the inside of the battery. As soon as the internal temperature reaches 60° C, the switch opens and the battery is ready for rapid charge or discharge.

Britishvolt selects Northumberland site for battery gigaplant

"We developed a pretty clever battery for mass-market electric vehicles with cost parity with combustion engine vehicles," said Chao-Yang Wang, professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering, and director of the Electrochemical Engine Centre at Penn State.