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With rising pollution and increasing fuel prices, electric vehicles are emerging as a strong alternative. However, their limited range and charging challenges remain significant obstacles for consumers. To tackle this issue, scientists at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have made a significant breakthrough.
Under the leadership of Professor Rajendra Kumar Singh, Head of the Physics Department at BHU, a team of researchers has developed a room-temperature sodium-sulfur battery using sulfur derived from industrial waste. This battery will be 35% cheaper than existing sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries and, when used in large battery packs, can offer a driving range of up to 1300 kilometers on a single charge.
For extensive research and development of this new battery, BHU has signed a contract with the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), Bengaluru, under the Ministry of Power. The project is set to be completed within the next two years, after which the technology will be transferred for mass production.
Traditional sodium-ion batteries have a discharge capacity of 170-175 milliampere-hours per gram and an energy density of 150-180 watt-hours per kilogram. In contrast, BHU's newly developed room-temperature sodium-sulfur battery has demonstrated a discharge capacity of 1300-1400 milliampere-hours per gram and an energy density of 1274 watt-hours per kilogram in laboratory trials.
Typically, a large pack of sodium-ion batteries in four-wheelers provides a range of only 250-300 kilometers per charge. However, due to its high discharge capacity and energy density, the new sulfur battery can offer an extended range of 1200-1300 kilometers per charge.
BHU's innovation has the potential to overcome the limitations of electric vehicles and significantly contribute to India's e-mobility revolution.
