One of the chief obstacles to the development and commercialization of the next generation of electric vehicles is the short lifespan of the present generation of batteries. The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded a University of Rhode Island chemistry professor a $600,000 grant to study why batteries degrade so quickly and how to extend their life.

“The calendar life of lithium ion batteries is one of the most problematic aspects of bringing electric vehicles to market,” said Brett Lucht, the URI chemist and lead investigator on the project. “The U.S. Automobile Battery Consortium wants a battery with a 10-year span, but the batteries available today won’t last nearly that long.”