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28 
 

 

News & Views 

Alternatives to lithium-ion batteries in electric 

vehicles 
A K M Rubaiyat Reza Habib, Karyssa Sue Butler 

As of 2022, there have been new developments on batteries that use sodium instead of lithium. These batteries are known as 

sodium-sulfur batteries. They use sodium as the negative electrode and sulfur as the positive electrode to store and discharge 

the electricity. 

en years ago, there were not 
many electric vehicles driving 
on the roads, but in 2021 over 

six million battery electric vehicles 
were sold [1]. The increase in demand 
for battery electric vehicles calls for a 
large need for improvements in the 
technology for these vehicles. Lithium-
ion batteries have made exceptional 
progress since they were first 
developed in the mid 1900’s. These 
developments are not satisfactory to 
today's standards for the environment. 
Scientists and engineers have deployed 
various alternatives to lithium-ion 
batteries. A number of these 
alternatives can store more energy or 
have a longer lifetime. Additionally, 
many of them can mitigate CO2 
emissions and be considerably more 
easily attainable. Environmentally, it is 
known that lithium is not the leading 
option for batteries. The extraction of 
lithium can lead to deforestation and a 
substantial increase in CO2 in the 
atmosphere. Lithium batteries have 
also been found to cause fires in 
landfills when not disposed of 
properly. As of 2022, there have been 
new developments at The University of 
Texas at Austin on batteries that use 
sodium instead of lithium [2]. These 
batteries are known as sodium-sulfur 
batteries. Sodium-based batteries 
were first developed by General 
Motors in the late 1900s, but these 
batteries did not have an extensive 
lifetime. They use sodium as the 
negative electrode and sulfur as the 
positive electrode to store and 
discharge the electricity [1]. Like 
lithium-ion, these batteries can be used 
for many things other than just electric 
vehicles. Experiments at the University 
of Texas were done on the electrolyte 
inside the batteries. This electrolyte 
affects the sulfur in a way that it will 
dissolve. If this electrolyte is not the 
right substance, it will lead to a 

material loss known as shuttling [3]. 
The loss of material would lead to a 
shorter lifetime and an unstable 
overall performance. In the previous 
sodium-sulfur batteries, the sulfur 
always had this issue with shuttling, 
explaining why the batteries were 
never able to be sold in high demand. 
Sodium is not a cause of the increasing 
CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. 
Expanding the extraction of these 
materials could lower the emissions of 
CO2 even though it will still release 
greenhouse gasses such as SO2. In 
addition, alternatives of sulfur and 
sodium in the batteries would aid in 
the decrease in the price of batteries. 
Lithium prices are at an all-time high in 
the current year of 2022. Underlying 
materials such as cobalt are a cause of 
this increase. Lithium-ion batteries use 
other materials, which are not 
abundant resources like sodium, 
causing a price increase [2]. 
Nickel, manganese, and cobalt are used 
in most lithium-ion batteries in electric 
vehicles. However, other automakers, 
such as Tesla and Ford, are going to 
employ lithium iron phosphate (LFP) 
batteries in at least some of their 
vehicles, which are popular in China. 
These LFP batteries, however, cannot 
store as much energy per pound as 
lithium-ion batteries, but they're far 
cheaper and last much longer. Tesla 
intends to use LFP batteries in electric 
vehicles with shorter ranges and lower 
prices. Ford intends to utilize them in 
some fleet-oriented trucks offered 
under the Ion Boost Pro name. Tesla 
equipped with these batteries can only 
travel roughly 270 miles on a single 
charge, compared to 358 miles for 
equivalent models equipped with 
nickel and cobalt batteries. When the 
temperature dips below freezing, LFP 
batteries lose some of their power and 
take longer to charge [4]. Tesla is 
leading the way in shifting lithium-ion 

battery technology away from nickel-
based chemistry and toward LFP. The 
adoption of LFP will go a long way 
toward making electric vehicles more 
affordable. They are less expensive, 
have a lower energy density, and a 
shorter (but acceptable) range than 
nickel-based lithium-ion batteries, 
which will continue to be utilized in 
more expensive electric cars with 
longer range requirements [5]. On the 
other hand, Tesla's next-generation 
battery known as "4680" is going to be 
implemented in their Model Y 
crossovers; the reason why it seems 
popular is due to the distinctive 
honeycomb construction which will be 
able to provide 16 percent more range 
in its pursuit. Furthermore, General 
Motors’ Ultium battery cell requires 
70% less cobalt than the Chevrolet Bolt 
electric hatchback's cells [4]. The large-
format, pouch-style cells of Ultium 
batteries are unique in the market 
because they may be stacked vertically 
or horizontally inside the battery pack. 
This helps engineers optimize the 
storage and placement of battery 
energy for each vehicle design. Energy 
options range from 50 to 200 kilowatt-
hours, allowing for a GM-estimated 
range of up to 450 miles on a single 
charge and 0-60 mph acceleration in 
under three seconds. Level 2 and DC 
rapid charging are built into GM's 
future Ultium-powered EVs. Most will 
feature 400-volt battery packs and 
fast-charging capabilities of up to 200 
kW, while GM's truck platform will 
have 800-volt battery packs and 350-
kW fast-charging capabilities [6]. Solid-
state batteries lack a liquid electrolyte, 
making them lighter, storing more 
energy, and charging more quickly; 
moreover, they are less prone to catch 
fire, requiring less cooling equipment. 
Volkswagen and BMW have both 
invested in and are implementing this 
technology. Solid Power, the industry-

 

 
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May 2022| Volume 01 | Issue 01 | Pages 28-29 

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Habib and Butler/Future Technology                                                                                             May 2022| Volume 01 | Issue 01 | Pages 28-29 

29 
 

leading producer of all solid-state 
batteries for electric vehicles has 
announced a $130 million Series B 
investment round led by the BMW 
Group, Ford Motor Company and Volta 
Energy Technologies. Ford and the 
BMW Group have also extended their 
existing cooperative development 
agreements with Solid Power to ensure 
that all solid-state batteries for future 
electric vehicles are secure. The 
company however has also reinstated 
that they can manufacture all solid-
state batteries using existing lithium-
ion battery manufacturing 
infrastructure. QuantumScape, an 
ambitious Silicon Valley start-up, has 
stated started the same project 
planning to commercialize solid-state 
batteries by 2024 [7].  
Toyota is planning to use its first solid-
state battery in an electric vehicle by 
2030, and other automakers are 
quickly following suit, forming 
collaborations with battery producers 
all around the world.Rapid charging of 
batteries, improving battery range, 
developing equitable charging 
infrastructure, and addressing battery 
end-of-life options are critical next 
steps in the complex challenges of 
vehicle electrification, and sales 
forecasts now always seem to include 
the word exponential, but if battery 
technology fails to make the assumed 
improvements. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
References 
[1] New technology to speed up 

charging electric cars -- 
ScienceDaily n.d. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r
eleases/2022/03/22032109191
6.htm (accessed April 6, 2022). 

[2] Battery “dream technology” a 
step closer to reality with new 
discovery -- ScienceDaily n.d. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r
eleases/2021/12/21120622002
0.htm (accessed April 5, 2022). 

[3] A new electrolyte for greener and 
safer batteries -- ScienceDaily n.d. 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r
eleases/2022/02/22021011411
9.htm (accessed April 6, 2022). 

[4] Carmakers Race to Control Next-
Generation Battery Technology - 

The New York Times n.d. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2022
/03/07/business/energy-
environment/next-generation-
auto-battery.html (accessed April 
6, 2022). 

[5] Solid-State Batteries Promise 
Electric Car Popularity Boost, But 
Technical Mountains Await n.d. 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/n
eilwinton/2021/11/28/solid-
state-batteries-promise-electric-
car-popularity-boost-but-
technical-mountains-
await/?sh=79bf5f54632f 
(accessed April 6, 2022). 

[6] GM and LG Energy Solution 
Investing $2.6 Billion to Build 3rd 
Ultium Cells Manufacturing Plant 
in Lansing n.d. 
https://media.gm.com/media/us
/en/gm/news.detail.html/conten
t/Pages/news/us/en/2022/jan/
0125-gmandlg.html (accessed 
April 6, 2022). 

[7] EV Battery Research Powers 
Ahead Toward Next Big 
Breakthrough n.d. 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/u
henergy/2021/06/14/ev-
battery-research-powers-ahead-
toward-next-big-
breakthrough/?sh=4e58e9da362
a (accessed April 6, 2022). 

 
 

 

A K M Rubaiyat Reza Habib 

Department of Electrical 

Engineering, Arkansas Tech 

University, 1811 N Boulder Ave, 

Russellville, AR, 72801, USA  

rubaiyat.reza@gmail.com 

Karyssa Sue Butler 

Department of Mechanical 

Engineering, Arkansas Tech 

University, 1811 N Boulder Ave, 

Russellville, AR, 72801, USA  

karyssa.sue19@gmail.com 

 

 

 

 This article is an open-

access article distributed under the 

terms and conditions of the Creative 

Commons Attribution (CC BY) license 

(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

by/4.0/). 

mailto:rubaiyat.reza@gmail.com

