Thursday 28 February 2019

Could quantum computers be the key to efficient EV batteries?

Mercedes-Benz says quantum computers could be used to discover new materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries within the next decade.

The German car giant's research and development division suggests discovering new battery materials could unlock a 'billion-dollar opportunity' by enabling better electrochemical performance and longer life cycles.

The Daimler-owned brand claims a quantum computer could accurately simulate the actual behaviour of a battery, which is currently not possible - however, quantum computers can perform complex calculations much more quickly than existing computer processes are capable of.

Mercedes-Benz and Daimler are working with International Business Machines Corp’s quantum-computing division with the goal of deploying the next-generation computing power.

The size of the investment wasn’t disclosed.

Nobody has yet built a quantum computer that can be used for large-scale applications but there is heavy investment taking place on a global scale to develop the technology.

Benjamin Boeser, Director of Open Innovation at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, said: "We believe there’s a huge opportunity here.

"The field is advancing at a healthy speed, but everybody who’s close to the technology and research knows it’s still in its infancy and we still need to do a lot of work."