Are Lithium Air Batteries the Future of Electric Vehicles?

The first flush of plug-in cars set to hit the market later this year, there is still uncertainty whether consumers will balk at the price tag and scope of the limitations of early-model electric vehicles. Both of these drawbacks can be traced to the shortcomings of the current generation of lithium Ion Battery, which has made huge strides over the last decade but still capable of meeting the needs of some drivers.
But what if the lithium battery can be lighter, cheaper and at least five times more powerful than those that power cars like the Chevy Volt, i MiEV, Mitsubishi, Nissan or leaves?Argonne Laboratories says lithium air batteries may be all of these things and more, and it uses a $ 8,800,000 grant by the government to make them.
As a technology, lithium air is still in his childhood, but clean-tech start-ups, universities and carmakers around the world are racing to find out if this is indeed the future electric mobility. Most experts say that the battery is at least a decade away (maybe two), and there are some major barriers to bringing down costs and ensuring that the technology will hold up to real world challenges. Still, promises lithium air is intriguing enough that General Motors and several other major automakers are all believed to be studying it.
A regular lithium Ion battery works by moving ions from a carbon anode via an electrolyte (usually lithium salts), in a solid metal oxide cathode. Lithium air batteries use lithium anode and a porous carbon cathode, allowing lithium ions to move freely through an unlimited supply of oxygen. The difference, in layman's terms, is that a lithium battery air "breathes," allowing its capacity to be limited only by how much lithium is contained in its anode. Results in a battery smaller, lighter, and hopefully cheaper. It also means stronger electric vehicles, with ranges of 500 miles or more.
The federal government is very bullish on future technologies like lithium air battery, and recently awarded an additional $ 34,000,000 in research on advanced auto batteries.