Mobility of the future equals electromobility: a simple equation, and to see the proof, you need only cast your eye out to the street. In fact, global sales figures for electric vehicles − i.e., battery-powered and hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids and vehicles with fuel cells − increased more than tenfold between 2010 and 2021, from just about 838,000 to more than 9,345,000 vehicles. Germany was well at the head of this trend: although less than 6,000 electric vehicles were sold nationwide in 2010, the figure had jumped to 750,000 by 2021. The pioneering field of e-mobility faces a big challenge in the form of batteries; every stage brings up issues to resolve, from manufacturing to disposal. Researchers at institutes and developers at automotive manufacturers are working hard to increase the energy density of the batteries − which would, in turn, increase the vehicles’ range − through novel material combinations and new cell designs, improving the batteries’ safety and lifespan and reducing production costs.
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