Flow batteries: redefining electric vehicles

    A flow battery is a reusable battery that converts chemical energy directly into electrical energy by exchanging ions between two liquids with opposite charges (electrolytes).

    When it comes to electric cars, everyone's first reaction must be Tesla. Indeed, in many people's minds, Tesla is synonymous with electric cars. But now, there is a car that may be comparable to Tesla - the electric concept car released by nanoFLOWCELL AG from Liechtenstein - Quant e-Sportlimousine. It not only has a beautiful shape, but the more fascinating thing about this car is its extraordinary "heart" - a new power system using liquid flow battery technology - nanoFLOWCELL.

    How powerful is the flow battery? The car has a range of 600 kilometers, which is no less than Tesla. At the same time, the power is very strong. According to simulation calculations in the laboratory, the acceleration from 0 to 100 kilometers is an amazing 2.8 seconds, and the maximum speed is 380 kilometers per hour.

    So what exactly is a flow battery? It is a reusable battery that directly converts chemical energy into electrical energy by exchanging ions between two liquids with opposite charges (electrolytes). Flow batteries can generate 0.795 watts of electricity per square centimeter, which is three times the power generation of other thin-film battery design systems and 10 times that of ordinary lithium batteries. In addition, flow batteries have many advantages: they can be idle for a long time without losing charge, have a fast response time, and can be charged and discharged quickly by replacing the electrolyte.

    But the reasons that limit the development of flow batteries are also obvious: there is usually a membrane in the battery to separate the electrolytes, ensuring that the two liquids do not mix when they exchange ions. But the problem is that the inexpensive electrolyte will corrode the expensive membrane, which also greatly shortens the battery life. So the best way to extend the battery life is to directly remove the use of the membrane.

    MIT has made outstanding contributions to the development of flow batteries. In order to prevent the two liquids from mixing, researchers used laminar flow technology in liquid hydrodynamics to place them in a container. The storage of electrolytes is separate from the battery itself, with two tanks containing electrolytes. This means that the size of the battery can be easily controlled by changing the size of the tank.

    The nanoFLOWCELL system uses a larger battery compartment, which means a higher energy density of 600 watt-hours per kilogram. At a rated voltage of 600V and a rated current of 50A, the system can continuously output a maximum power of 30 kilowatts. Compared with the lithium-ion battery technology that powers today's electric vehicles, the performance is 4 times higher, which means that its driving range is 5 times that of traditional components of the same weight. The company also stated that the flow battery it developed can withstand 10,000 charge and discharge cycles without producing obvious memory effects.

    "We not only want to transform cars, but also hope to apply flow batteries to shipping, railways, aviation and other fields in the future," said a person from nanoFLOWCELL AG.