Spanish researchers and companies are working on graphene batteries for cars with a 1,000 km range

The range of the batteries is one of the key factors that all electric car manufacturers have to work on. In this regard, a lot of research is being carried out, and there is one carried out in Spain that seems to be heading in a fairly good direction, since it promises to produce batteries with a range of up to 1,000 kilometres.

How can this range, which practically doubles that of current electric models, be achieved? The key lies in the use of graphene, a material that is being researched more and more and that could revolutionise the way many electronic devices are manufactured, such as computers, cables or cameras, to name just a few examples.

At the University of Córdoba, research is being carried out into how graphene polymer can be used to manufacture better batteries. The project is being carried out together with the company Graphenano, a graphene producer, and the newly created company Grabat Energy, which would be responsible for manufacturing these new batteries, and in which two of the four major German vehicle producers have reportedly already shown interest.

The advantages of these batteries would lie in a higher energy density, longer life or faster charging, with 8 minutes needed to reach maximum range. The batteries would also be lighter, and their cost is estimated to be 77% lower than current ones. These batteries would be manufactured so that they are compatible with current electric car developments.

It’s not all advantages, because achieving those 8-minute charging times would require charging stations of very high power, although the device could use lower-power stations in exchange for a longer recharging time. On the other hand, these batteries, at least at this stage of research, take up more space than lithium-ion ones, so more room would have to be reserved in cars to install them, or they would have to be made a little smaller, reducing the maximum range to around 700 to 800 kilometres.

Production of these batteries will begin in 2015, and we will see whether these contracts with German manufacturers are finalised, as they could start using them around 3 years later. We will keep an eye on this research, which is very interesting and could place Spain in a leading position in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.

Photo | Eco-towns
Via | Think Big