Electric vehicle battery

An electric vehicle battery is a rechargeable battery used to power the electric motors of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

Electric vehicle batteries account for over 90% of battery use in the energy sector.^[1]: 23 They are typically lithium-ion batteries that are designed for high power-to-weight ratio and energy density. Compared to liquid fuels, most current battery technologies have much lower specific energy. This increases the weight of vehicles or reduces their range.

Li-NMC batteries using lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxides are the most common in EV. The lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP) is on the rise, reaching 41 % global market share by capacity for BEVs in 2023.^[2]: 85 LFP batteries are heavier but cheaper and more sustainable. At the same time, the first commercial passenger cars are using a sodium-ion battery (Na-ion) completely avoiding the need for critical minerals.^[3]

The battery makes up a significant portion of the cost and environmental impact of an electric vehicle. Growth in the industry has generated interest in securing ethical battery supply chains, which presents many challenges and has become an important geopolitical issue. As of December 2019^[update], the cost of electric vehicle batteries has fallen 87% since 2010 on a per kilowatt-hour basis.^[4]

Demand for EVBs exceeded 750 GWh in 2023.^[2] EVBs have much higher capacities than automotive batteries used for starting, lighting, and ignition (SLI) in combustion cars. The average battery capacity of available EV models reached from 21 to 123 kWh in 2023 with an average of 80 kWh.^[5][6]