Purdue scientists test flow battery for EVs, claim 300-mile range

[StevieM]

~snip~

According to scientists at Purdue University, the best way to charge electric car batteries may be to take them to a gas station, and have them serviced at an instant oil-change shop.

The two scientists have been testing a new type of flow battery in golf carts, and say the battery now develops enough energy density and power to be viable in a car.

“It’s a game-changer for the next generation of electric cars," says John Cushman, a professor of math, and earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences at Purdue, in a university publication, "because it does not require a very costly rebuild of the electric grid throughout the US. Instead, one could convert gas stations to pump fresh electrolyte and discard depleted electrolyte and convert oil-changing facilities to anode replacing stations. It is easier and safer to use and is more environmentally friendly than existing battery systems.”

He says that the electrolyte would need to be replaced about every 300 miles (not unlike gasoline in a tank), and the anode material would have to be replaced about every 3,000 miles (similar to old-fashioned oil changes).

Read More: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1120397_purdue-scientists-test-flow-battery-for-evs-claim-300-mile-range

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. And how long will it take to recharge that battery?

Less than ten minutes, sort of like filling a car with gas? The article seems to indicate it would be a relatively quick process, but doesn't give any details.

As for oil changes, I bought a 2017 Fit with 13,000 miles on it. I now have a bit over 20,000 miles and it still isn't ready for an oil change. It will tell me when I need one. Right now the oil indicator says 40%, and when it gets down to 10 or 15% is when I'll need to change the oil.

And how much will the electrolyte exchange and anode replacing cost? For that matter, what does it cost to run an electric car at this point?

[Nitram]

2. Interesting concept. Batteries could be designed to facilitate the transfer. Is there a

waste disposal issue? Any risk of environmental contamination with lead or other heavy metals?

[customerserviceguy]

3. I don't see this as being feasible

It takes a lot less time to fill up a gas tank than to get an oil change on a vehicle. Maybe improvement of delivery systems could change that, but with 48 of the 50 states allowing self-serve, I doubt that there could be any parity with that.

Right now, you drive up to an empty pump, and in about ten minutes or less, your tank is full, you've paid, and you're ready to go. I cannot imagine any kind of battery electrolyte replacement process being anywhere near as fast as that. And anode replacement would surely take longer than an oil change at a Jiffy Lube.

[eppur_se_muova]

4. From reading the article, this doesn't seem to fit the *usual* definition of flow battery at all --

From reading the article, this doesn't seem to fit the usual definition of flow battery at all -- rather, it's consuming either zinc or aluminum*, both bulky materials which will need to be transported at huge cost. I.e., it's using metals as fuels, one of which is produced exclusively by electrolysis, the other by electrolysis or reduction with carbon/coal, which would mean that these vehicles would be (indirectly) burning coal if zinc were used, or drastically driving up the price of Al if Al were used.

The term "flow battery" is conventionally used to describe an electrical cell in which both the oxidant and reductant remain in solution, and can be refreshed by replacing the solution. A pure liquid or gas fuel in a fuel cell would obviate hauling around the weight of the solvent, which makes up the bulk of the electrolyte. The bulk of the solvent lowers the mass energy density too much to be suitable for vehicles.

A further disadvantage of this design is that you have to carry around the oxidation product(s) from the fuel, which actually weighs more than the fuel itself (more than double in the case of aluminum), so the vehicles could actually gain weight (from oxygen in the air) as they go.





*As I've pointed out repeatedly, consuming aluminum as a fuel is a Very Bad Idea. The current low cost of aluminum is due to the fact that Al is recycled with high efficiency. "Burning" aluminum would produce tons of wet alumina to be re-electrolyzed to the metal, at very high cost. It's been estimated that recycling has brought the cost of aluminum down by a factor of ten. Oh, BTW, it's best not to inhale alumina dust.