Your next car won’t need fuel, because a cleaner and more efficient ride is here. The electric vehicles are revolutionizing the transportation industry. But behind the buzz, the real revolution is happening inside its battery pack. Electric vehicles, powered by lithium-ion batteries, are going faster, smarter, and more reliably, but we haven’t completely replaced traditional engine vehicles yet. To achieve that, we need longer ranges, safer cells, AI-driven optimization, and second-life use cases. The future of electric vehicles relies entirely on lithium-ion battery innovations at the microscopic level. In this blog, join Boson as we take you on a ride through the world of EV battery
In a recent talk with Aishwarya, P.A.Guru Punghavan, CEO, Re-Astra emphasized the need to reduce reliance on the Chinese market for essential raw materials to strengthen India’s position in the global EV landscape.
The Next Generation of EV Batteries
The electric vehicle revolution is powered by a trio of lithium-ion chemistries—NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminum), NCM (Nickel Cobalt Manganese), and LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate)—each with its own strengths, trade-offs, and emerging innovations.
- NCA batteries, used in high-performance and long-range EVs—notably older Teslas. NCA swaps out manganese for aluminum to achieve a 3000-cycle lifepan and stability with a gradual decline to 70% capacity, supporting total vehicle lifespans of 600,000 km or more—if managed carefully. Yet regarding safety, its thermal runaway poses a higher risk.
- NCM batteries dominate the global EV market as it is a perfect balance of energy density (230–250 Wh/kg), cost, and cycle life (around 2,000 cycles), making them suitable for most mainstream EVs. New variants like NCMA (adding aluminum) and NCM90+ (further reducing cobalt) are pushing energy density and sustainability even further. Similar to NCA, NCM does have a moderate safety risk.
- LFP batteries are prized for their exceptional safety profile with very low fire risk, long cycle life up to 10,000 cycles, and the ability to be charged to 100% without significant degradation. But the downside is shorter range and less power, and poorer cold-weather performance due to lower energy density of 130-190wh/kg.
So, what do industry legends do when they need more power while meeting higher safety standards for their EVs?
Solid-State Batteries in EV Power and Safety
As the name suggests, a solid-state battery is a type of lithium-ion battery in which the liquid electrolyte is substituted with a solid electrolyte, offering faster charging, improved safety, and longer ranges. Let’s check out on how they make EVs more efficient.
- Energy Density and Performance: lithium-metal solid-state prototype has a record-breaking 1070 Wh/L energy density. How? This innovation uses a polymerized ionic liquid nanocomposite electrolyte and a thin lithium metal anode, packing more power into less space while slashing production costs.
- Safety and Fast Charging: Since we use a solid electrolyte, there is no more flammable liquid, which reduces fire risks dramatically. It allows for high discharge rates (up to 4C) and fast charging 10% to 90% in 18 minutes.
- Real-World Testing and Scalability: It’s not just about prototypes anymore, Mercedes-Benz is already testing solid-state battery-powered vehicles on the road. BMW is taking it further, aiming to integrate solid-state batteries into vehicles, scaling production to power 800,000 EVs annually by 2028.
Likewise, BOSON is manufacturing lithium-ion cells for EVs and, for the first time in India, we’re powering drones with our cutting-edge lithium-ion battery technology. And you can read it all in the latest article,
Future trends in lithium-ion battery for electric vehicles
- Silicon Anodes: The shift from graphite to silicon anodes is here, and it’s a game changer. Research show, silicon can increase energy density by 20–50% compared to current cells, and with even a bit of silicon, EVs are getting longer ranges and lighter, smaller battery packs. Some of the latest prototypes have blown past 700 Wh/kg—more than double the best lithium-ion cells. This means EVs has every feature and quality to beat gasoline vehicles when it comes to range.
- Quasi-Solid-State Designs: In Japan, researchers are introducing quasi-solid-state lithium-ion batteries, that has a mix solid and liquid electrolytes. They’re safer with lower fire risk, better thermal stability, and longer lifespan, bridging the gap until full solid-state batteries take over.
- Recycling Innovations: Companies are making strides in battery recycling, recovering high-purity lithium cathodes to reduce waste and support a more sustainable battery economy.
- AI as the Battery’s Brain: AI is taking over the role of Lithium-ion battery management, optimizing individual cells, predicting failures, controlling charging, and even helping with energy trading by interacting with the grid. It’s making EVs smarter and more efficient.