Electrolyte refilling to prolong lithium-ion battery lifetime for Electric Vehicles

Lithium-ion battery is one of the key components in electric vehicles which has been widely used as the carrier for transportation electrification. Prolonging lifetime of lithium-ion batteries will significantly reduce the resulting economic burden and promote the large-scale development of electric vehicles. In this study, cycle life tests are conducted on commercial batteries, which reveals that loss of electrolyte is one of the key reasons leading to a rapid battery degradation. A method using electrolyte refilling is proposed, and it is found that the method protects the cells from rapid decay. After refilling electrolyte, the internal resistance decreases by 64.5%, and the cycle lifetime increases by more than 600 cycles. The electrolyte refilling method improve the feasibility of battery second utilization, improving the environmental friendliness of electric vehicles.