Comparison of the state of Lithium-Sulphur and lithium-ion batteries applied to electromobility

Abstract

The market share in electric vehicles (EV) is increasing. This trend is likely to continue due to the increased interest in reducing CO emissions. The electric vehicle market evolution depends principally on the evolution of batteries capacity. As a consequence, automobile manufacturers focus their efforts on launching in the market EVs capable to compete with internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEV) in both performance and economic aspects. Although EVs are suitable for the day-to-day needs of the typical urban driver, their range is still lower than ICEV, because batteries are not able to store and supply enough energy to the vehicle and provide the same autonomy as ICEV. EV use mostly Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries but this technology is reaching its theoretical limit (200-250 Wh/kg). Although the research to improve Li-ion batteries is very active, other researches began to investigate alternative electrochemical energy storage systems with higher energy density. At present, the most promising technology is the Lithium-Sulphur (Li-S) battery. This paper presents a review of the state of art of Li-Sulphur battery on EVs compared to Li-ion ones, considering technical, modelling, environmental and economic aspects with the aim of depicting the challenges this technology has to overcome to substitute Li-ion in the near future. This study shows how the main drawbacks for Li-S concern are durability, self-discharge and battery modelling. However, from an environmental and economic point of view, Li-S technology presents many advantages over Li-ion.

Lithium–Sulfur Batteries under Lean Electrolyte Conditions: Challenges and Opportunities

“…In addition, the service life of a battery directly affects the actual cost. [19] Considering the service life of a commercial LIB is about 1500 cycles, [20] the practical Li-S battery should deliver a stable discharge capacity of approximately 1000 mAh g S À1 for at least 500 cycles. Therefore, it is critical to maintain the capacity and stability without severe degradation under harsh evaluation conditions of high sulfur loading and low E/S ratio.…”

Assessing battery energy storage for integration with hybrid propulsion and high energy weapons

“…Recent technological developments in electrochemical energy storage devices in parallel sectors have transferable benefits to naval ship power system design. Practical specific energy and power density of Lithiumion (Li-ion) batteries are attaining 150-250 Wh/kg and 200-450 W/L respectively for battery cells used in electric vehicle applications (Benveniste et al 2018). Developments such as Lithium Sulphur chemistries demonstrate that battery cells could exhibit specific energy density upwards of 500 Wh/kg and 900 W/L (Nagata and Chikusa 2016).…”

The Effects of Lithium Sulfur Battery Ageing on Second-Life Possibilities and Environmental Life Cycle Assessment Studies

“…At the end of the tests, EC-lab software was used to extract all data for further analysis. considered that have higher practical specific energy limits, such as Li-Sulfur (Li-S) [30], lithium air, and all-solid-state batteries [31]. From the aforementioned alternatives to Li-ion, the research presented in this study focuses on Li-S technology as part of the work conducted under the framework of the HELIS H2020 project [32] that aims to develop Li-S batteries for automotive purposes.…”

“…Moreover, car manufacturers aim to reach specific energies of approximately 550 Wh/kg to increase the battery capacity and reduce the overall weight of EVs, and in turn eliminate range anxiety concerns of EV owners. Since Li-ion batteries are thought to have achieved their practical specific energy limit [29], which ranges between 100 and 250 Wh/kg, new alternatives for battery chemistry are being considered that have higher practical specific energy limits, such as Li-Sulfur (Li-S) [30], lithium air, and all-solid-state batteries [31].…”