Ageing of High Energy Density Automotive Li-Ion Batteries: The Effect of Temperature and State-of-Charge

Lithium ion batteries (LIB) have become a cornerstone of the shift to electric transportation. In an attempt to decrease the production load and prolong battery life, understanding different degradation mechanisms in state-of-the-art LIBs is essential. Here, we analyze how operational temperature and state-of-charge (SoC) range in cycling influence the ageing of automotive grade 21700 batteries, extracted from a Tesla 3 long Range 2018 battery pack with positive electrode containing LiNi _x Co _y Al _z O ₂ (NCA) and negative electrode containing SiO _x -C. In the given study we use a combination of electrochemical and material analysis to understand degradation sources in the cell. Herein we show that loss of lithium inventory is the main degradation mode in the cells, with loss of material on the negative electrode as there is a significant contributor when cycled in the low SoC range. Degradation of NCA dominates at elevated temperatures with combination of cycling to high SoC (beyond 50%).