Musk's EV push in China necessary for technology's growth

Tesla CEO Elon Musk visited China in the hope of expanding the electrical vehicle. or EV, producer's second largest global market. This first visit in over three years is significant for the EV industry, which is gearing up to replace petrol cars over the coming years. With lower maintenance costs and an economic plug-and-charge technology, EVs have huge scope to benefit China as the country's driving population reaches close to the 500 million mark.

Investment in EV innovation must continue if progress is to be made. Top of the range EVs such as the Tesla Model S Plaid can leave even the best conventional fossil fuel vehicles in their dust, reaching speeds of over 321 kilometers per hour. However, a major limiting factor is battery energy storage, as many models can take several hours to recharge. Battery life spans are also at the mercy of temperature, as both ambient air and internal conditions affect their chemical processes. Most batteries require an optimal range for high performance, which is difficult to control when a vehicle is intended to be driven outside in unpredictable weather conditions.

The need to improve energy storage designs to future-proof EVs is well understood by Tesla, which last month announced the construction of a new battery factory in Shanghai. It is intended to produce megapack batteries, large units for storing energy at power grids.

The technology in principle, however, is a scaled-up version of EV batteries, made from lithium-ion fuel cells. The factory is due to start exporting its first units in 2024, which will coincide with China establishing itself as the largest producer of batteries in the world. The benefits from the research and production process will have a knock-on effect for EVs, as the technology continues to refine.

Lithium-ion batteries, which can release energy quickly, are a mature and well-understood form of technology. However, they are far from perfect, with the batteries containing a highly volatile and flammable electrolyte. Exposure to ignition sources or heat can result in highly unpredictable combustions if not properly cooled, with a Tesla megapack unit catching fire at a Californian powerstation last fall.

Similar concerns exist for the EV market, as while fires are rare, they are much harder to put out than conventional car fires as the battery generates its own oxygen to continue fueling the blaze. Other complex chemical reactions contribute towards the burn in unpredictable ways, many of which scientists are only now just starting to understand. The potential for malfunction can also increase as the battery reaches the end of its shelf life, with the cells losing their shape over time.

A small but passionate section of the EV energy storage research industry maintains that the way forward is to produce vehicle designs with exchangeable batteries. While providing a potentially simplistic fix without a paradigm shift in our understanding of material sciences, economically this may not make sense. Tesla has taken many years to build its supercharger network for its road users, and to revamp this infrastructure would take a lot of work.

While offering hope to both the economy and the environment, EVs still face many hurdles before they can replace fossil fuel vehicles. Musk's China trip, however, takes the necessary steps to do so, and it is likely that the landscape may look very different in a decade's time.