The efficiency of batterys is very low (i think around 30% for lithium ion, lipo, lifepo, but im not sure about the exact number)
The "old" nickel batteries (nimh, nicd) are even more worse.
Pb batteries too.
The lifespan of these batterys is in my opinion to short, compared with the amount of metals like lithium (which is kind of rare) you need to build them.
Powercharging is nice but not good for the lifespan of the battery.
I love e-motors but i "hate" batterys.
I dont think that cars,... with batterys will be the Future, because the batterys have low efficiency, low lifespan and you need rare metals to build them.
The battery is highly efficient. Li-ion has 99 percent charge efficiency, and the discharge loss is small. In comparison, the energy efficiency of the fuel cell is 20 to 60 percent.
What this means is if I put 100kw into a li-ion battery I get out 99kw. That's efficient. If I put 100kw of hydrogen into a fuel cell I get out 20 to 60kw (I think the ones in cars are around 45%). Then there is the issue of getting the hydrogen, storing it, etc.
I think you may be talking about something else. For example, the energy density of batteries is very low compared to say hydrogen. However, for the majority of our transport needs it is not an issue. Most people typically drive around 30 to 50 km a day and even those little e-scooters can handle that. They also take 3 hours to charge which isn't a problem unless you are driving really far and have a tight schedule.
Unless you need something to be very light or you are trying to move something large like a tank, electric beats hydrogen.
Yes youre right seems like my source was way to old (read this like 5 years ago) or it was related to the energy density.
Over 90% efficiency is pretty high, but these batterys today does not convince me.
But they improved like crazy in the last years so we will see.
Getting lithium and other rare battery stuff is a bigger obstacle in my opinion.
And lithium batterys are not harmless too in case of an car accident or "deep discharge".
Thanks for your answer
Lithuim batteries can definitely explode or catch fire. However, for the Tesla and most electric cars the manufacturers are aware of this. The cars have various safeguards to prevent deaths in these cases. For example the place where the battery is located is made with fireproof materials which will resist the burn temperature of lithium. Therefore any explosion or fire will be contained. It will wreck the car, but that is almost unavoidable. Also, since the batteries are highquality, fires are rare. We aren't talking about discount batteries bought from a factory with no standards.
Unlike hydrogen which turns to water after one cycle in a fuel cell, lithium-ion batteries can be charged between 300 to 500 times with no loss of life. They can be charged up to 1500 times if you don't mind losing about half your potential. Although lithium is harder to obtain than hydrogen, the fact that you get several hundred charges before you have to recycle it makes up for this.
There is definitely room for improvement with batteries, however, given current technology a battery powered car is more practical than a hydrogen powered car. I can't really speak for the future, but I imagine for most applications such as personal vehicle for urban residents, it will remain that way.