Chemical Mixture Widens the Temperature Range for Electric Car Batteries

A combination of chemicals was created that could help electric cars power their way through the extreme temperatures that degrade the efficiency of current lithium-ion batteries. Combinations of compounds in electrolytes, in the laboratory, allow lithium-ion batteries to function very well both in sub-zero temperatures (Fahrenheit) — which are reached often during the winter in the northern United States and other parts of the world — and in very hot temperatures like those in the summer in the southwestern US. Those are temperatures where today's batteries — used to power electric cars, cellphones, laptops, and other devices — often retain little charge and expend it quickly.