Unit 12

Automotive Industries
1

Read the article. Label the diagrams with the word(s) in bold.

Lithium-ion batteries
1 Operation: Lithium-ion batteries (li-ion, for short) are a type of rechargeable battery. During discharge, a lithium
ion moves from the anode to the cathode. While charging, a lithium ion moves from the cathode to the anode.
2 Applications: Li-ion batteries are used in consumer electronics such as laptops and mobile phones. They are also
used in other applications, for example in the automotive and aerospace industries because of their high energyto-weight ratios.
3 Components and Materials: The three main functional components of a li-ion battery are the anode, the cathode
and the electrolyte. Different materials can be used for their manufacture.
4 Advantages: Li-ion batteries are popular for several reasons. They have a high energy density. They lose charge
slowly when not in use: a li-ion battery pack loses about 5% of its charge per month, compared with a nickel-metal
hybride battery, which loses 20%. They have no memory effect. In other words, you do not have to discharge them
completely before recharging them.
A A
B B
5 Energy-density: A typical li-ion battery can store
approximately 150 watt-hours
of electricity in 1 kg of battery. A
nickel-metal hybride battery pack can store about 6070 watt-hours per kg. A lead-acid battery can store only
25 watt-hours per kg. So, lead-acid technology needs six times more battery weight than li-ion technology to
store the same amount of energy.

Charging
AA

BB

1 1

C C

++

++

++

2 2
DD 4 4

CC

D D4

++

++

++

5 5

Read the article again and complete the table.

lithium-ion (li-ion)

nickel-metal hybride (NiMH)

lead-acid

Watt-hours per kg of battery

3 3

% loss of charge per month

6 6
Underline the reduced relative clauses in these sentences.
1 The lithium batteries

first made in the 1970s were not as safe as the current li-ion batteries.

2 Lithium moves into the anode or cathode, a process referred to as insertion.

3 Lithium moves out of the anode or cathode, a process referred to as extraction.
4 When the cell discharges, the lithium extracted from the anode is inserted into the cathode.
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J7276
5 When the cell charges, the lithium extracted from the cathode is inserted intoPEARSON
the anode.
Technical
English
PEARSON
Technical
English
Automotive
Industries
Automotive
Industries

6 The advantage of li-ion chemistry is the high open circuit voltage obtained in comparison
to other
aw_12_01
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batteries like lead-acid or nickel-metal hybride.
7 Laptops use the energy stored in the batteries through the movement of lithium ions.

Pearson Longman 2008

www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish

Automotive Industries

Unit 12

4 Insert which is / which were where possible in the sentences in 3.

Example: 1 The lithium batteries which were first made in the 1970s were not as safe as the current li-ion
batteries.

5 Read the FAQs from a press release about a new hybrid car. Then match the questions to the
correct answers below.
1 e

When will the new lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid car go on sale?

Will this technology be used for luxury cars, for specialist cars, or for mass-produced cars?

Which technology was previously used for hybrid cars?

How do the new hybrid cars compare with previous hybrids?

What part of the car powers the car from standstill?

When does the petrol engine take over and power the car?

What sized car does the new hybrid compare with in performance?

Must the car be rested and recharged after it uses up its charge?

What is the fuel saving compared to a standard petrol-engine car?

10

How many cars using this new technology will be sold each year?

a) Sales forecasts are currently 100,000 units per annum.

b) The new hybrid should deliver a performance comparable to that of a 3.6 litre engine.
c) The new technology will be used for almost every model that is currently manufactured. This marks
the first time that the new technology is used for a mass-produced car.
d) The new hybrid is expected to save between 15 and 20% of the fuel currently used.
e) The new lithium-ion battery-powered hybrid car will go on sale in the year 2010.
f) To save fuel, the electric motor, powered by the battery, powers the car from a standing start.
g) Previously, battery-powered hybrids were based upon nickel-metal hybride technology.
h) As the car accelerates, the petrol engine takes over once the revs have reached the optimum level.
i) The new li-ion technology provides an engine that is 24% smaller, 40% lighter and 33% more powerful.
j) No, unlike all-electric vehicles, there is no necessity to stop using the vehicle to recharge it. The
braking system generates power to charge the battery during normal operation.

6 Complete parts of the vocabulary table with words from this unit. Use your notebook.
NOUN

VERB

ADJECTIVE

recharging

recharge

storage

applicable

apply

function

function

popularity

density

popularise

Pearson Longman 2008

www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish

Automotive Industries
Word List
7 Write the meanings of these words and phrases in your own language.
NOUNS

VERBS

aerospace

discharge

anode

extract

application

insert

cathode

ADJECTIVES

density

hybrid

discharge

luxury

effect

optimum

electrolyte

previous

extraction

rechargeable

forecast
insertion
necessity
revs
standstill
NOUN PHRASES
lead-acid
lithium-ion
nickel-metal hybride
open circuit voltage

Pearson Longman 2008

www.pearsonlongman.com/technicalenglish

Unit 12