The battery in question is made out of ceramic materials, which capture and release negatively charged oxygen ions to create a current flow when electric voltage is present. One of the benefits of being ceramic is that they are not flammable. EVs, on the other hand, have a well-known battery fire problem, and even an industry-leader like Tesla hasn’t been able to fully figure it out. Another key advantage of the latest battery innovation is that it doesn’t employ any rare earth elements, which further tones down any potential environmental impact.
Instead of cobalt or nickel, the current prototype of the oxygen-ion battery relies on lanthanumm which is less finite but still limiting, but research is already underway to replace it with some other material that is more easily available. The only downside is that, as it stands, the oxygen-ion battery can’t quite offer the same energy density as lithium ion batteries. The team has patented the oxygen-ion battery tech and notes that it isn’t quite the best solution for smartphones or EVs, but it can serve as an extremely efficient method for large scale storage such as wind or solar energy harnessing.
