Tag: Battery technology

Over 90% of manganese production is used in steelmaking, highlighting its overwhelming industrial importance. Yet, simultaneously, it serves a completely different, but equally vital, purpose as an essential trace mineral for human biological functions.

Over the past decade, the energy density of lithium-ion batteries has steadily increased, becoming a driving force behind smaller consumer electronics and longer-range electric vehicles. However, depending on the application—from power storage to nutrition—the role of energy density is far more complex than simply being 'good' or 'bad.'

In a healthy adult, approximately 80-85% of the body's energy reserves are stored as fat, a primary example of long-term energy storage. This innate ability to store and tap into vast energy reserves is a fundamental concept not only in biology but also in complex systems like power grids and space travel.

Did you know that liquid hydrogen boasts a gravimetric energy density over three times higher than gasoline, though it has a much lower volumetric density? This fundamental distinction helps illustrate what energy density is—a crucial concept for comparing and developing energy storage systems.

According to research by QuantumScape, improved energy density could lead to electric vehicles with significantly longer ranges and lighter consumer electronics. The fundamental question, "what does energy density do?" is central to innovations in batteries and fuels, dictating everything from a smartphone's battery life to an EV's travel distance.