The search for a better EV battery as customer demand rises

A Tesla electric car charges at a Tesla charging station
A Tesla electric car charges at a Tesla charging station at a highway rest stop on Sept. 20, 2019, near Nempitz, Germany.
Sean Gallup | Getty Images

The surge in demand for electric vehicles has ignited a new kind of “space race” within the automobile industry as manufacturers compete to create the next industry-shifting electric vehicle battery. 

Automakers and tech companies are looking to create a solid-state battery which could give electric vehicles a longer range with shorter charging times, said Inside Climate News journalist Dan Gearino. Those are changes that could help electric vehicles cross over into the mainstream, he said.  

“Every major automaker is at the very least talking a lot about their EV ambitions,” Gearino said. 

“It’s clear that Telsa is the leader right now,” he added. “It’s a question of, in this future market, it will be Tesla and who?”

Electric vehicles featuring this type of technology could be on the market by the mid-2020s, he said. 

Gearino joined Climate Cast with more on the future of electric car batteries. Click play on the audio player above or subscribe to the Climate Cast podcast to hear the episode.

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