3. Cobalt-Free Lithium-Ion Batteries:
How Do They Work?
These batteries work like lithium-ion batteries, but they don’t contain cobalt, which is typically used to stabilize the cathode in a lithium-ion battery.
How Will They Be Used?
These batteries could be used in any device powered by a lithium-ion battery, but much of the focus is on developing cobalt-free batteries for electric vehicles. Currently being used by Tesla in some electric vehicle models, cobalt-free lithium-ion batteries could soon become a staple of Lamborghini’s models since the company has patented MIT’s new battery technology.
Pros and Cons of Cobalt-Free Lithium-Ion Batteries
The main advantage of cobalt-free batteries is that they don’t contain cobalt. Cobalt is incredibly expensive, and mining it is associated with human rights abuses. The United States Department of Energy hopes to end the use of cobalt in lithium batteries by 2030.
However, alternatives to cobalt have their flaws as well. The process of mining and extracting cobalt can be toxic and dangerous, and another cobalt alternative, TAQ, is still new and requires more testing. For these reasons, companies may continue to rely on cobalt until they can establish other options.
