Although lithium batteries can withstand the cold better than some others, extreme temperatures hamper their ability to store and release energy. These concerns can, for instance, affect the willingness of a consumer to buy an EV rather than a car with an internal combustion engine.
When a lithium battery is being discharged, lithium ions travel from the graphite anode to the lithium cobalt oxide cathode via the movement of electrons through an external circuit. This process is reversed during charging. This electrochemical reaction slows down at low temperatures.
While this issue is frequently mentioned and has received much attention from researchers and manufacturers, the significant irrevocable capacity loss in cold weather is not well understood. This cannot be resolved by measures such as the battery preheating approach populating in EVs.
Now, SLAC scientist Yijin Liu and postdoctoral researcher Jizhou Li have elucidated this poorly understood...