[ti:Firms Race to Develop Less Costly Batteries for Electric Vehicles] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]American and European companies [00:04.36]are racing to develop new batteries [00:08.16]for electric vehicles using two readily available [00:14.28]and less costly materials: sodium and sulfur. [00:20.64]The new batteries could help bring more electric vehicles, [00:26.08]or EVs, to the market [00:29.12]and reduce China's lead in battery production. [00:34.76]Today's EVs run on lithium-ion batteries [00:40.28]which cost about $10,000 to $12,000 to make. [00:47.40]They are mostly made with lithium, [00:51.12]cobalt, manganese and nickel. [00:56.60]And the materials have increased in price [01:00.64]during the last two years. [01:03.96]The new batteries under development [01:06.68]could cost one-third to two-thirds less. [01:12.16]But their promise depends on overcoming difficulties [01:17.72]in working with the materials. [01:21.72]Sodium does not hold as much energy, [01:24.92]while sulfur can easily damage key parts of a battery. [01:31.48]Still, companies have brought in millions of dollars [01:36.60]and government support to develop new kinds of batteries [01:41.60]- called sodium-ion or lithium-sulfur. [01:48.36]Several firms in the United States, Germany, and Norway [01:53.68]are developing lithium-sulfur batteries [01:57.84]that do not need the costly nickel or cobalt. [02:04.40]They include Lyten and Conamix in the U.S., [02:10.24]Germany's Theion and Norway's Morrow. [02:15.64]Ulrich Ehmes is the chief executive of Theion in Berlin, Germany. [02:23.84]He says sulfur is so corrosive [02:27.88]that it kills a battery after 30 charges. [02:33.08]But he said the company has developed a way [02:37.08]to protect the lithium-sulfur electrode [02:40.96]so it can last an EV's lifetime. [02:45.68]An electrode is an element through which [02:49.24]electricity flows into or out of a battery or other device. [02:56.52]Ehmes believes its lithium-sulfur batteries [03:00.56]could hold three times more energy [03:04.40]than the most powerful lithium-ion batteries. [03:10.16]He says sulfur batteries charge very fast [03:14.80]and cut battery costs by two-thirds. [03:20.20]Current lithium-ion batteries generally keep their power [03:25.04]for 160,000 to 320,000 kilometers of driving. [03:34.96]"It's cheap, it's high energy density, [03:39.24]so it seems to be a no-brainer," Ehmes said. [03:45.00]Ehmes said the company plans to begin tests [03:49.16]with automakers in 2024. [03:53.36]And he expects the first production for EV use around 2027. [04:01.36]U.S.-based Amandarry and British company AMTE Power [04:07.72]are developing sodium-ion batteries. [04:12.76]They do not need cobalt, nickel, and even lithium [04:18.16]which are the three most expensive battery materials. [04:23.64]Sodium-ion batteries could be useful [04:26.92]for EVs that require less power. [04:31.36]Amy Chen is an executive at Amandarry. [04:36.40]She said the first use of its batteries will likely be electric two-wheelers. [04:43.76]In addition to lower cost, Chen said Amandarry's batteries [04:49.52]can charge really fast — 80 percent in 15 minutes. [04:55.68]AMTE Power chief Kevin Brundish said [05:02.44]his company is planning to launch its batteries [05:06.24]for storage systems where energy demand is lower. [05:12.20]Some Asian firms are also working on these new kinds of batteries. [05:20.28]China's CATL has said it plans [05:25.68]to begin producing sodium-ion batteries in 2023. [05:33.76]And Korea's LG Energy Solution [05:38.08]aims to start making lithium-sulfur batteries by 2025. [05:45.88]Some automakers are testing new types of batteries [05:50.40]and keeping an eye on their development. [05:55.00]"Over time, more battery chemistries will come out," [05:59.52]said Linda Zhang, chief engineer on Ford's F150 Lightning electric truck. [06:09.64]"It would be silly not to take advantage of those chemistries." [06:16.20]I'm Andrew Smith. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM