Lithium batteries are a safe and environmentally friendly option for electric vehicles (EVs), claim industry experts who expect them to be around for the long term. More than 10 million electric cars were sold last year and that number is expected to grow by another 35 percent this year, according to the International Energy Agency. 

Governments around the world have been rolling out measures to boost EV sales with the Chinese mainland by far the largest market, with 5.9 million vehicles sold in 2022. And in the EU, a ruling to prevent the registration of combustion engine cars from 2035 has also helped to see these figures grow.

But at the same time there have been questions over whether the world is ready to go fully electric and if in fact EV cars are safe with concern over lithium batteries. Electric cars commonly use lithium-ion batteries which have cells in liquid form and Robert Ganter of Webasto Group said that the type of insulation used will determine the chances of short circuits.

READ MORE

The Belt and Road in Europe

Battle for the bears: fatal attack ignites row

Spain's Hermoso files criminal complaint 

Speaking at the IAA motor show in Munich he told CGTN: "We see the form of separators which have some kind of insulation that makes sure that we don't have a short circuit inside the cell between the positive and negative points. The material of the separator also has a huge influence on other aspects. So it's not easy to generalize that solid state is, per definition, safer."

And Alexander Holden of EVE Energy Co also said that the batteries that they manufacture are a real green alternative to fossil fuels as hydroelectric power is used.

"We look at what is the best economical solution for people and also what is the solution that offers the least impact to the surrounding environment," he said. "Everybody today is environmentally cautious so we look at green energy and renewable energy. So the electricity we tend to use to produce batteries comes from hydroelectric it doesn't come from fossil fuels."

In a rapidly changing world with new technology and fresh approaches to tackling global warming, there have also been questions over whether it is wise to invest in electric cars that have lithium batteries. But the worry that they could quickly be replaced was dismissed by Holden.

He told CGTN: "I think lithium technology will always be there, it firmly has a place in the industry and I don’t think it will change. I think new technology will come along and there will be a balance, would it be hydrogen or better-performing lithium cells? When you put that with new chemistry blends, I think lithium will always be there, but we will fine tunning it as we go along."

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday