Firms Race to Develop Less Costly Batteries for Electric Vehicles

2022-11-21

00:00 / 00:00
复读宝 RABC v8.0beta 复读机按钮使用说明
播放/暂停
停止
播放时:倒退3秒/复读时:回退AB段
播放时:快进3秒/复读时:前进AB段
拖动:改变速度/点击:恢复正常速度1.0
拖动改变复读暂停时间
点击:复读最近5秒/拖动:改变复读次数
设置A点
设置B点
取消复读并清除AB点
播放一行
停止播放
后退一行
前进一行
复读一行
复读多行
变速复读一行
变速复读多行
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1
  • American and European companies are racing to develop new batteries for electric vehicles using two readily available and less costly materials: sodium and sulfur.
  • 2
  • The new batteries could help bring more electric vehicles, or EVs, to the market and reduce China's lead in battery production.
  • 3
  • Today's EVs run on lithium-ion batteries which cost about $10,000 to $12,000 to make.
  • 4
  • They are mostly made with lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel.
  • 5
  • And the materials have increased in price during the last two years.
  • 6
  • The new batteries under development could cost one-third to two-thirds less.
  • 7
  • But their promise depends on overcoming difficulties in working with the materials.
  • 8
  • Sodium does not hold as much energy, while sulfur can easily damage key parts of a battery.
  • 9
  • Still, companies have brought in millions of dollars and government support to develop new kinds of batteries - called sodium-ion or lithium-sulfur.
  • 10
  • Several firms in the United States, Germany, and Norway are developing lithium-sulfur batteries that do not need the costly nickel or cobalt.
  • 11
  • They include Lyten and Conamix in the U.S., Germany's Theion and Norway's Morrow.
  • 12
  • Ulrich Ehmes is the chief executive of Theion in Berlin, Germany.
  • 13
  • He says sulfur is so corrosive that it kills a battery after 30 charges.
  • 14
  • But he said the company has developed a way to protect the lithium-sulfur electrode so it can last an EV's lifetime.
  • 15
  • An electrode is an element through which electricity flows into or out of a battery or other device.
  • 16
  • Ehmes believes its lithium-sulfur batteries could hold three times more energy than the most powerful lithium-ion batteries.
  • 17
  • He says sulfur batteries charge very fast and cut battery costs by two-thirds.
  • 18
  • Current lithium-ion batteries generally keep their power for 160,000 to 320,000 kilometers of driving.
  • 19
  • "It's cheap, it's high energy density, so it seems to be a no-brainer," Ehmes said.
  • 20
  • Ehmes said the company plans to begin tests with automakers in 2024.
  • 21
  • And he expects the first production for EV use around 2027.
  • 22
  • U.S.-based Amandarry and British company AMTE Power are developing sodium-ion batteries.
  • 23
  • They do not need cobalt, nickel, and even lithium which are the three most expensive battery materials.
  • 24
  • Sodium-ion batteries could be useful for EVs that require less power.
  • 25
  • Amy Chen is an executive at Amandarry.
  • 26
  • She said the first use of its batteries will likely be electric two-wheelers.
  • 27
  • In addition to lower cost, Chen said Amandarry's batteries can charge really fast - 80 percent in 15 minutes.
  • 28
  • AMTE Power chief Kevin Brundish said his company is planning to launch its batteries for storage systems where energy demand is lower.
  • 29
  • Some Asian firms are also working on these new kinds of batteries.
  • 30
  • China's CATL has said it plans to begin producing sodium-ion batteries in 2023.
  • 31
  • And Korea's LG Energy Solution aims to start making lithium-sulfur batteries by 2025.
  • 32
  • Some automakers are testing new types of batteries and keeping an eye on their development.
  • 33
  • "Over time, more (battery) chemistries will come out," said Linda Zhang, chief engineer on Ford's F150 Lightning electric truck.
  • 34
  • "It would be silly not to take advantage of those chemistries."
  • 35
  • I'm Andrew Smith.
  • 1
  • American and European companies are racing to develop new batteries for electric vehicles using two readily available and less costly materials: sodium and sulfur.
  • 2
  • The new batteries could help bring more electric vehicles, or EVs, to the market and reduce China's lead in battery production.
  • 3
  • Today's EVs run on lithium-ion batteries which cost about $10,000 to $12,000 to make. They are mostly made with lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel. And the materials have increased in price during the last two years.
  • 4
  • The new batteries under development could cost one-third to two-thirds less. But their promise depends on overcoming difficulties in working with the materials. Sodium does not hold as much energy, while sulfur can easily damage key parts of a battery.
  • 5
  • Still, companies have brought in millions of dollars and government support to develop new kinds of batteries - called sodium-ion or lithium-sulfur.
  • 6
  • Lithium-sulfur batteries
  • 7
  • Several firms in the United States, Germany, and Norway are developing lithium-sulfur batteries that do not need the costly nickel or cobalt. They include Lyten and Conamix in the U.S., Germany's Theion and Norway's Morrow.
  • 8
  • Ulrich Ehmes is the chief executive of Theion in Berlin, Germany. He says sulfur is so corrosive that it kills a battery after 30 charges. But he said the company has developed a way to protect the lithium-sulfur electrode so it can last an EV's lifetime. An electrode is an element through which electricity flows into or out of a battery or other device.
  • 9
  • Ehmes believes its lithium-sulfur batteries could hold three times more energy than the most powerful lithium-ion batteries. He says sulfur batteries charge very fast and cut battery costs by two-thirds. Current lithium-ion batteries generally keep their power for 160,000 to 320,000 kilometers of driving.
  • 10
  • "It's cheap, it's high energy density, so it seems to be a no-brainer," Ehmes said.
  • 11
  • Ehmes said the company plans to begin tests with automakers in 2024. And he expects the first production for EV use around 2027.
  • 12
  • Sodium-ion batteries
  • 13
  • U.S.-based Amandarry and British company AMTE Power are developing sodium-ion batteries. They do not need cobalt, nickel, and even lithium which are the three most expensive battery materials.
  • 14
  • Sodium-ion batteries could be useful for EVs that require less power.
  • 15
  • Amy Chen is an executive at Amandarry. She said the first use of its batteries will likely be electric two-wheelers. In addition to lower cost, Chen said Amandarry's batteries can charge really fast - 80 percent in 15 minutes.
  • 16
  • AMTE Power chief Kevin Brundish said his company is planning to launch its batteries for storage systems where energy demand is lower.
  • 17
  • Some Asian firms are also working on these new kinds of batteries.
  • 18
  • China's CATL has said it plans to begin producing sodium-ion batteries in 2023. And Korea's LG Energy Solution aims to start making lithium-sulfur batteries by 2025.
  • 19
  • Some automakers are testing new types of batteries and keeping an eye on their development.
  • 20
  • "Over time, more (battery) chemistries will come out," said Linda Zhang, chief engineer on Ford's F150 Lightning electric truck. "It would be silly not to take advantage of those chemistries."
  • 21
  • I'm Andrew Smith.
  • 22
  • Nick Carey and Paul Lienert reported this story for Reuters. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English.
  • 23
  • ____________________________________________________________
  • 24
  • Words in This Story
  • 25
  • corrosive-adj. able to destroy a solid material by a chemical reaction
  • 26
  • cheap -adj. low in cost
  • 27
  • no-brainer --adj. erstood or easily decided upon because of a clearly better choice
  • 28
  • silly -adj. unwise, a mistake in judgement, foolish
  • 29
  • take advantage of -adj. use something for one's benefit or benefit from a good opportunity
  • 30
  • ____________________________________________________________
  • 31
  • We want to hear from you.
  • 32
  • We have a new comment system. Here is how it works:
  • 33
  • Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.