The range and performance of electric vehicles depend directly on the batteries used. Lithium-ion batteries are currently considered very promising due to their high energy density and low capacity loss when frequently, but incompletely, charged and discharged.

In the joint project Li-EcoSafe, battery experts at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (Zentrum für Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg; ZSW), and the University of Ulm will further develop the concept of lithium-ion batteries by considering the entire development process, from materials to suitable operating strategies. The network is a Centre of Excellence for Battery Research funded under the Excellent Battery programme by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung; BMBF).

The researchers are, for example, interested in the chemical reactions at the interface between electrodes and electrolytes which affect the properties of such a battery, and novel measurement techniques, for example in-situ diagnostics which provide an immediate feedback about the battery’s charge, condition, and life expectancy.

• German Aerospace Center (DLR; Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt), Stuttgart, Germany