Guest Contribution by Twaice: 221 Years of Battery - and Suddenly at the Center

On February 18th is the International Day of the Battery. This recurring global technological "holiday" falls on the birthday of Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who introduced the first battery in 1801. His early models were very simply constructed; they consisted of a few components, or rather everyday objects: thin strips of copper, cardboard, and zinc, each separated by moist leather. Alessandro Volta's guiding element was – as bizarre as it sounds – his own tongue.

This Friday, February 18, 2022, the battery turns a proud 221 years old. Since 1801, it has brought us so far in so many areas.

Batteries operate on the principle of the Galvanic cell, in which electrically charged particles flow in a circuit from the negative to the positive pole, thus generating electricity. The battery is both an electrochemical energy storage and converter: during discharge, stored chemical energy is converted into electrical energy through electrochemical reaction. This converted energy is then available to consumer devices independently of the power grid. From initially limited capacity and simple construction, the battery is now highly developed. And it is long past being an indispensable part of our smartphones and notebooks – nothing seems to work without it anymore.

On the Way to the Lithium-Ion Battery

However, the breakthrough for a commercially usable lithium-ion battery came only when an additional development step was added: In 1979, researchers John B. Goodenough and his colleague Koichi Mizushima developed a rechargeable lithium cell with about 4 volts that used lithium cobalt dioxide as the positive electrode – this was the crux of the proliferation of the lithium-ion battery. Its rechargeability is also the basic requirement for battery-powered e-mobility.

By the End of the 19th Century, Electric Cars Were More Advanced Than Combustion Engines

But how does the battery actually get into the car? How did electromobility come about? Early e-mobility is made in Germany The emergence of electromobility is closely associated with the British naturalist Michael Faraday. And we all know him from physics class because of the "Faraday cage," which protects the occupants of cars from lightning strikes because it provides electrical shielding. The year 1821 is considered the birth of electromobility, as Faraday was able to demonstrate how permanent rotation can be produced with the help of electromagnetism. By the end of the 19th century, electric cars were more advanced than cars with internal combustion engines. The very first four-wheeled electric vehicle was introduced in 1888 in Coburg by the German entrepreneur and inventor Andreas Flocken.

No Chance Against the Conglomerate of the Oil and Automotive Industries

After this starting signal, electromobility developed rapidly. At that time, the proportion of electrically powered vehicles was almost twice as high as that of vehicles with combustion engines. In the interplay between the automotive industry, the oil industry, the automotive trade, users, media, and politics, an automobile system was established in which electric cars unfortunately could not prevail.

It sounds crazy that all these great discoveries and ideas had to lie dormant for almost a century before e-cars, due to increasing environmental problems, came back on the agenda and into the fast lane.

Because the EY Mobility Lens Consumer Index shows that more than 40 percent of current new car buyers plan to invest in an electric car. Ecological awareness and environmental protection are the focus for buyers. What e-mobility can do today Renewable energies, energy storage systems, and e-mobility remain key to sustainability and an environmentally friendly energy system.