Battery technology advances see increased energy density and diagnostic initiatives

In Slovakia, OMV, in collaboration with NearCharger and MojElektromobil.sk, organized a free battery diagnostic event for electric vehicle owners to mark World EV Day. Experts tested nearly twenty vehicles, including various Tesla models and an Audi e-tron, providing owners with AVILOO Battery Diagnostics certificates to assess real battery health and capacity.

In a separate technological development, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE have increased the thickness of battery electrode coatings from the standard 100–200 micrometers to up to 800 micrometers. This architectural change allows cells to store 10% to 15% more energy by weight by reducing the amount of inactive metal current collectors required. The researchers successfully tested this principle on lithium-ion, sodium, and zinc cells, producing lithium-ion pouch cell prototypes under conditions close to industrial manufacturing.