Research Articles

Over 1GWh of batteries are now sailing on waters globally, reflecting 72% industry growth in 2022. Despite this, there have been several challenges that shipbuilders and maritime battery suppliers have had to navigate in recent years.

While abbreviations for Li-ion cell chemistries - NMC, NCA, LFP, etc. - typically refer to the cathode's elements, 'LTO' refers to a cell with a lithium titanate oxide anode that replaces graphite. LTO brings unique high-power cell characteristics, more comparable to a supercapacitor than a battery, creating new electrification opportunities for train OEMs.

There is no denying that silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are the story of the next decade for electric vehicle power electronics. The material improves powertrain efficiency (EV range), operates at higher voltages for faster charging, and creates new materials opportunities, such as Ag or Cu sintering, as power densities and operational temperatures increase.

Across the land-based electric vehicle sectors tracked by IDTechEx, there is mostly a transition to battery-electric propulsion systems over the next two decades.

Today's rail networks largely consist of electric trains 'tethered' to electric overhead and live rail systems. However, this is not feasible everywhere due to the high infrastructure cost/mile, remote geographic locations, and the practicality of building through tunnels and bridges.

As electric vehicle (EV) power electronics undergoes a paradigm shift towards wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, it is clear that silicon carbide (SiC) is becoming the material of choice, while gallium nitride (GaN) is often shoe-boxed into telecommunications or optoelectronics applications.

IDTechEx has published a series of articles recently covering hydrogen- and ammonia-powered fuel cell (FC) demand in shipping. One of the most common responses to this has been - what about methanol?

The demand for electric vehicle (EV) power electronics will increase dramatically in the next ten years, primarily driven by rapid growth in the BEV car market, where IDTechEx predicts a 15% CAGR globally over the next decade.

The maritime sector, which accounts for approximately 2.9% of global carbon emissions, is seeking to meet broader climate goals such as the Paris Agreement and 'Fit for 55' in Europe. Since it is the largest vessels, such as sea-going cargo vessels, which tend to contribute the most to maritime emissions, this presents a huge challenge.

It is becoming prosaic to say there is no 'silver bullet' for marine decarbonization. But it might be fitting to say 'multiple silver bullets' are emerging since between batteries, fuel cells (FC), green hydrogen, green ammonia, e-methane and carbon capture, decarbonization across all marine subsegments might just be possible.

It has been another momentous year for electric vehicle markets and technologies, with major policy developments, sales growth, and landmark models set to enter the market.

While electric cars will remain the largest electric vehicle market for the foreseeable future in terms of battery demand and market revenue generation, most transport sectors are facing a transition. In this article, IDTechEx summarizes key developments in non-automotive sectors, showing each sector's global battery demand (in 2021) for relative scale.