EVs Could Travel Five Times Farther with Battery Tech Made from Bulletproof Vests

While the sales of electric vehicles have been a bit slower than some would like, that hasn’t stopped vehicle makers from continuing to expand their EV offerings. But as they expand these product lines, one of the biggest obstacles to their growth lies at their very heart — the battery. Two of the primary materials needed in the production of electric vehicle batteries are lithium and cobalt — neither of which would be considered a friend of the environment. In fact, although EVs compensate for it down the road, they actually emit more carbon during production than their combustion engine counterparts, primarily because of their batteries. Furthermore, EV battery materials are expensive, create sourcing debates, and are not as efficient as most engineers would prefer. An option gaining a lot of momentum in helping to improve battery efficiency, cost, and environmental friendliness, is replacing the metals used to create lithium-ion cells, which can include cobalt, copper, and manganese, with sulfur.