A look at the future of mobile energy storage

全球研究成功案例：
锂离子电池的胜利

纵观历史，对人类生活产生深远影响的技术层出不穷，锂离子电池就是其中之一。这项技术的最初驱动力来自20世纪70年代的电子娱乐设备，当时人们开始寻找替代随身听等设备中使用的一次性电池的替代品。人们很快认识到锂离子电池具有巨大的潜力，因为它们能量密度高，体积小，不易受记忆效应的影响。但也存在一些问题：它们非常易燃，而且容易在电池内部短路。科学家们不得不解决这些问题，在某种程度上，他们仍在这样做。获得2019年诺贝尔化学奖的约翰·B·古德够（美国）、M·斯坦利·惠廷厄姆（英国）和吉野章男（日本）的研究取得了决定性的突破。第一批可充电锂离子电池于1983年生产，1991年由索尼公司投放市场。从那时起，它们就势不可挡，统计数据证明了这一点：2019年，全球市场价值约400亿欧元。预计到2022年将增长到600亿欧元。

从音乐到移动到工业清洁：
batteries improve systems in all kinds of places.

Consider your mobile phone, digital camera, laptop or torch: barely any electronic gadget exists that is not run on lithium-ion batteries these days. This technology is lighter, smaller and provides a higher capacity and performance than standard nickel-cadmium or nickel–metal hydride batteries. This is a significant factor for practical devices such as power tools, gardening equipment, vacuum cleaners and the like – in both domestic and commercial environments. Electromobility is another hot topic. Lithium-ion batteries can be interconnected, meaning several can be connected together to form a power pack. This technique is used in all kinds of vehicles, from electric bikes, electric scooters and Segways to hybrid and electric cars and buses. Even in photovoltaics, lithium-ion batteries have proven themselves useful for energy storage due to their compact size, long life and lack of maintenance requirements. A domestic lifespan of 6,000 cycles is standard, adding up to about 20 years – roughly the same as a photovoltaic system.

Today: lithium ions. Tomorrow…?
Where are we heading?

Lithium-ion technology is everywhere these days and has made sustainable solutions possible in some areas. It would be hard to replace. However, electromobility is one driver that is increasing the demand for energy storage so dramatically that this technology will probably not be able to meet that demand on its own. Not to mention issues like higher performance and shorter charging cycles, which may be better tackled using other technologies, even though there is still some potential for development in lithiumion cells. Finally, the availability of the raw materials – primarily cobalt and lithium – will become problematic in the medium term.

因此正在进行替代品的搜索。一种选择是固态电解质电池，其不含流体，仅是固态电解质作为电导体。预计电动车辆至少达到500公里，只需几分钟即可充电。目前的研究专注于材料和制造技术。另一种选择是镁电池，预计比目前锂离子电池更强大，更便宜，更安全。更不用说镁比锂作为原料的常见量是千倍。它更容易回收。

我们到处都需要电池吗？
可持续性和循环利用选择。

从可持续发展的角度来看，存在锂离子技术的优点和缺点。一方面，它用于电动车辆和来自光伏系统的电力的电动车辆和能量存储的目的。朝着更环保的未来的关键步骤。另一方面，电池目前正在使用很少的限制 - 即使是训练师和跳线现在也有灯，吸管用LED装饰！这与我们迈向负责任使用的进展相反。回收是进一步的问题，因为目前的方法不足以处理那里的高量车辆电池。

据预测，钴和其他材料很快就会供不应求，因此解决办法正在进行中。例如，热熔合可以用来回收钴、镍和铜。另一种方法是在氮气环境中撕碎高度易燃的电池。剩下的是碎料，我们可以从中回收石墨、锰、镍和钴。这种电池的碳足迹比从头开始制造新电池低40%。这个主题还有很多其他的变化，但目标是一样的——节约能源，尽可能多地再利用原材料。

第二生命计划有一个不同的方法，使用旧电池固定储能。电动汽车中的电池在八、九年后性能已经不足以满足行驶里程的要求，因此必须更换电池，但它们仍然可以工作。因此，各汽车制造商打算在大型固定能源库中使用这些充电容量较小的电池。

电池技术有很多进展，未来的旅程将是一件特别的事情：令人兴奋。

KÄRCHER AND BATTERY TECHNOLOGY:

向我们模块中心储能系统经理Jan Becker博士提出四个问题

When did Kärcher first bring battery-powered devices to market?

We have had products with batteries in our portfolio for over 30 years – and they offer all of the usual advantages. We have always asked ourselves where their application makes the most sense for our customers and how to approach the technical challenges.

随着Kärcher电池宇宙，你现在推出两个新的电池平台。开发这些产品的重点是什么？

There were several important factors to keep in mind – including increased performance and run time, and an accurate display showing charging time and remaining run time down to the minute. We have 18 V and 36 V batteries available with different capacities. All batteries in a voltage class fit every device.

将提供哪些产品？

In the Home & Garden range, the new battery products have been on the market since spring 2019. The range includes medium-pressure washers, wet and dry vacuums and various gardening tools. Our Professional range will be launched in 2020 and includes wet and dry vacuums, as well as professional tools to maintain green spaces. And we are the first company in the world to launch a battery-powered high-pressure cleaner for commercial use.

Lithium-ion batteries will still be around for a while, but the next technologies are already in the starting blocks. What is Kärcher’s response?

Our platforms are designed so that we can easily fit new cell technologies into our interface. That is an important way that we can offer our customers future-proof solutions.

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