While electric vehicles offer a wealth of benefits for consumers and the environment, one downside is that it's not uncommon for their batteries to age quickly. Not only is this slowing down the switch to electric vehicles, but it is also a waste of resources.
However, researchers from Uppsala University (via Tech Xplore) revealed they have developed a new artificial intelligence model that provides a more precise picture of battery aging, which could result in longer lifespans for EV batteries as well as enhanced safety.
While software based on AI isn't new, as the automotive industry has already been developing it to optimize the control and management of batteries, the model created by the researchers at Uppsala is capable of increasing the accuracy of battery health predictions by approximately 70%.
The study, published in Energy & Environmental Science, required several years of battery testing, during which the research team collaborated with Aalborg University. By doing so many years of battery testing, the team was able to build a database comprising data collected from studying very short charging segments.
Researchers then combined the collected data with a model detailing the many varying chemical processes that occur inside EV batteries.
Researcher Wendi Guo explained, per Tech Xplore: "Altogether, this gives us a very precise picture of the various chemical reactions that result in the battery generating power but also of how it ages during use."
With longer-lasting batteries, consumers would ultimately save even more by switching to EVs. In the long run, this could make them more accessible to the general public. With these savings, as more people made the transition to EVs, the transportation sector would more quickly reach its goal of electrification. With fewer traditional vehicles on the road, air pollution could decline significantly, reducing the incidence of respiratory diseases.
More than that, this AI model could result in better safety when it comes to EVs. Rare yet serious safety problems have been known to occur in vehicle batteries, usually due to side reactions or flaws in the design, per Tech Xplore. However, with this AI model, these issues could be predicted and fixed before the vehicle is ever on the market, making it that much safer to own and drive an EV.
Additionally, homeowners with solar panels at home can enhance their savings from leasing or owning an EV even further, as solar energy reduces the costs of charging these cars. For EV owners who don't currently have solar energy at home, EnergySage is a simple-to-use and TCD-vetted source for obtaining solar energy quotes.
However, this new model does have a downside, which is AI's negative impact on the environment. Because AI models require massive amounts of water to cool down and energy to run, they can strain local grids and water supplies as well as damage local ecosystems.
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