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Chemistry

Batteries made with water could power e-scooters without exploding

In the hunt for an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which can catch fire, researchers have developed an improved water-based power source

By James Woodford

21 February 2024

A water and zinc battery

Tianyi Ma et al. 2024

Batteries based on water are one step closer to being commercially viable, thanks to a new design that drastically extends their lifespan. The first application could be in powering e-scooters, say researchers.

Lithium-ion batteries, which are currently used in everything from smartphones to electric cars, offer many benefits such as a high energy density, but can also explode or catch fire when they fail because they use dangerous organic solvents as an electrolyte in combination with a lithium anode.

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