Most electric cars use lithium-ion batteries, which are designed for high power-to-weight ratio and energy density. Lithium-ion batteries are the most common type of battery used in electric vehicles today, and there are six main chemistry types of lithium. The exact chemistry of lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars often varies from that of consumer electronics batteries. Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LCO) or Lithium Nickle Cobalt Oxide (NCA) are the most energy-dense types of lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars.
There are three different types of cell housing for lithium-ion batteries: cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch-type batteries. Tesla, for example, uses cylindrical batteries because of their reliability and durability. Other types of rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles include lead–acid, nickel-cadmium, nickel–metal hydride, and ultracapacitors. However, lead-acid batteries are only used in EVs to power supplemental auxiliary features, such as providing backup power to power steering, brake boosting, and to power the safety features in EVs.
Electric car batteries have to be compact, capable of recharging quickly and regularly, and also house plenty of power to get you where you want to go. The time that batteries spend in an EV is often just the beginning of their useful life. Once removed from a car, most batteries will still be fit for other demanding jobs like energy storage in the electricity network, or in the home.
