Chemical injection brings dying batteries back to life

A chemical injection can restore spent lithium-ion batteries to working order again. The one-step process could reduce waste and boost the supply of batteries needed for fleets of electric vehicles.

As batteries age, they lose some of the charged particles that let them store energy, which reduces their power-holding capacity. Injecting certain chemicals can reverse this type of degradation – although it does not fix structurally damaged batteries – according to researchers affiliated with the automotive giant Toyota…