Handheld Device Batteries vs Electric Vehicle Batteries

Electric Vehicle Batteries have 16 Times more Cells

Hybrid electric car batteries are not the same as handheld device batteries (cell phones, laptops, etc). Consider that your apple Ipod or cell phone battery might only be expected to last 2 years, while hybrid cars come with a 500% longer 10 year battery warranty. One of the key structural differences is that a lithium-ion electric car battery has 16 times more cells than a typical handheld device battery.

EV Performance Stresses and Battery Capacity

The performance circumstances of a plug-in hybrid battery are also substantially different. A cell phone or handheld device is typically charged to 100% and drained back to 0% over & over which wreaks havoc on the battery, causing a shorter life span (usually less than 2 years, by which time the device is also obsolete anyway). The full charge/ full drain usage is also called a charge depleting cycle. In contrast, a hybrid electric vehicle uses something called a charge sustain cycle where the batter never rises above or below a control range (about 80% on the high end and 50% on the low end). Effectively, 20% of 30% of the battery capacity is never actually used.

Below: a photo of batteries from a Renault Clio Electrique. The Clio was a first generation EV, which like the EV1, used a lead acid battery. These types of batteries are almost three times heavier than modern Lithium-ion EV batteries.


Hybrid also use batteries which are designed for high energy bursts to enhance gasoline engine performance and with this type of battery, overall capacity is low. Hybrid electric vehicles also use an additional battery designed to deliver more sustained power and energy.

Battery Technology has Evolved Greatly since 1996 and the EV1

The batteries used today have evolved significantly since 1996, when Chevrolet introduced the EV1. The range of the Ev1 was 55 to 75 miles, and the lead-acid battery weighed over 1,000 lbs with a 4 year life expectancy and a total of 16 kWh output. Compare this to the Chevy Volt lithium-ion battery pack which weights a mere 400lbs, yet still has a 16 kWh output, and has a warranty of 10 years! Unfortunately, despite these great strides, things are far from perfectly optimized. The Chevy Volt only uses about 50% of the total battery capacity (compared to 75% for the EV1), which means you're constantly pulling around 200lbs of extra weight around. Assuming 1 kWh is worth about $1,000, the Chevy Volt is hauling about $8,000 worth (200lbs/ 8 kWh) of dead-weight.

Below: A lithium-Ion battery pack is displayed (credit nasa). This type of battery has replaced the old lead-acid type batteries due to longer expected life, and more energy output with less weight.


Tags: Electric Car, Electric Vehicle, Electric Vehicles, Lithium-Ion Batteries, Zero Emissions, Environmentally Friendly, Future of Cars, EV, Hybrid, Chevy Volt Electric Vehicle, Toyota Prius, Dodge Circuit EV, Nissan Leaf EV, BMW Mini E, E-mini, GM Buick Plug-In SUV, EPA MPG