Breakthrough in Electric Vehicles

Right, so... we've had our Toyota 4-Runner for 25 years (anniversary date of 19 June). It's been a very good vehicle for a quarter of a century. It's been well-maintained and is only a 4 cylinder, so not ridiculous on gas. I had this idea that, after we reached 25 years, we'd maybe sell the thing and get a new/newer/less old vehicle. Good plan, no?

A few weeks ago, I had to take the 4-Runner into the shop because the "check engine" light had come on. After some diagnostics, the problem was identified as an oxygen sensor. I made an appointment to get that replaced and figured all would be good. Except... the mechanic who worked on replacing the O2 sensor also reported that the frame/undercarriage was being eaten by rust... to the point that it was getting holes in it. It was, theoretically, not really safe to drive anymore. His recommendation was that we retire the vehicle and definitely don't throw more money at it, trying to keep the thing alive.

Noooo... 

I have to admit, I shed a few tears over poor Clifford (The Big Red Truck). Other than my parents and sibling, he's been my longest relationship. Even longer than the previous cats (16 years). I bought Clifford new from Toyota and we've been through a lot together. Lots of adventures and misadventures... But now... the end is in sight.

Clifford's insurance is up for renewal on 22 August so that is now our firm deadline. We aren't going to be renewing the insurance after that. But what to do now? We can't sell the 4-Runner, obviously... but we could trade it in with BC's Scrap-It program... which will give you $6000 if you deliver your old vehicle to the Scrap-It junkyard and then buy a new e-vehicle, or $3000 if you buy a used e-vehicle or $1000 towards an e-bike.

I've been on a bit of a roller coaster trying to figure out what to get... new vehicle vs. used vehicle? Electric vehicle vs. hybrid vehicle vs. gas vehicle? Vehicle at all??? I had done a post a few months back about the possibility of going car-less... So many options and permutations. Part of the hesitation with an e-vehicle is... they are damn expensive ($45,000+) and the batteries only last 6-8 years, at which point you need to buy a new battery ($5000+). Plus... there are some concerns about how the batteries will be recycled/retired. Not the most eco-friendly options apparently.

Then, of course, there is the question of... does one get a charging station installed at home. Yes, you can plug an e-vehicle into a regular wall outlet, but then charging takes 10-12 hours. Even at a super-fast charging station (like the PetroCanada stations), a full charge can take upwards of 30 minutes. It's not quite the same as Gas 'n' Go... it's more like Charge Slow.

I'd also heard stories that anyone thinking of buying an e-vehicle should wait three years because battery technology was going to get waaaayyyyy better. Yeah, right. Except... it's true. And it's almost here... almost.

Batteries of the Future

Today's e-vehicle batteries are Lithium-ion. They are heavy. They are expensive. And they are slow to charge. On top of that, they have a short lifespan (6-8 years) and you can't go very far on a single charge (300-600 km). They are not ideal. For years, battery manufacturers have been chasing the holy grail of batteries... a solid-state Lithium-metal battery. Such a battery charges way faster, holds more energy in a comparable charge, has a longer range, is lighter and cheaper. But... they haven't been stable.

Recently however, the news (if you're a techie) has been touting a breakthrough. Researchers have finally found a way to make a solid state battery that is stable, can be charged upwards of 10,000 times (lifespan of 10-15 years - more in line with gas vehicles) and could fully charge in... 10-20 minutes! Sounds amazing!

Schematic of a conventional Li-ion battery with liquid electrolyte solution
and solid-state Lithium battery with a solid electrolyte
(From ResearchGate)

Now... there are still some logistical challenges... scaling this up to commercial production for one. But... researchers believe that these challenges can be overcome. Basically, we aren't going to be seeing any vehicles with solid-state batteries until the mid to late 2020s.

Sooo... I don't think we'll be buying an e-vehicle anytime soon. Maybe a hybrid. Maybe not. Maybe just a 10 year old gas vehicle that can tide us through until the new future of e-vehicles dawns in a few years.

In the meantime... I think of what these advances in solid-state batteries could mean for things like laptops and smartphones, all of which run on lithium-ion batteries. Maybe we'd get laptops that weigh a a fraction of what they do today. Exciting times!