The battery is the most delicate part of an electric vehicle’s engine and one of its key components. With the passage of time and improvements in technology, the main manufacturers in the automotive industry have gradually developed smaller, more powerful batteries with greater capacity to power more autonomous electric cars that can travel longer distances.
They estimate the useful life of a battery at 8 to 10 years on average and are currently exploring the best possible way to reuse its components once they are no longer in use. One of the main recycling initiatives involves recovering the raw materials that batteries are made from – such as lithium, cobalt and nickel – to make new ones. This would help reduce the CO2 emissions generated by extracting these components.
The big manufacturers are also considering the possibility of giving batteries a second life before recycling their components. This could mean using them as accumulators for solar plants and wind farms or as generators to supply electricity to small towns.
Finally, we would like to stress that the high temperatures seen in Barcelona in the last few days can damage batteries and reduce their useful life. If you want to protect the battery in your electric vehicle, we suggest the following tips:
- Wait for your vehicle to cool down before plugging it into the recharging point, and charge it to no more than 80% of its full capacity in order to avoid overcharging.
- Park it in the shade to minimise the rise in temperature.
- Charge it in car parks or electric charging stations with no direct sunlight.