How a Lithium Ion Battery Actually Works // Photorealistic // 16 Month Project
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- čas přidán 20. 05. 2024
- How does a lithium ion battery actually work and what does it look like at every level of scale from the atom up to the cell level? That's exactly what this video will cover in photorealitic detail after 16 months of animation design.
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Timeline
00:00 The Atomic Level
04:42 Electronic and Ionic Movement: Overview
05:40 The Cathode
07:00 The Electrolyte
09:19 The Anode
11:35 Discharging the Battery
14:46 Summary
15:21 A Special Thanks
16:16 Credits Montage
SHIRLEY MENG
Twitter@YingShirleyMen1
BATTERY BULLETIN
Twitter: @BatteryBulletin
CZcams: / @batterybulletin
ALI ANSARI
Twitter: @AliAnsari84
3D ANIMATION & DESIGN
Artem Matyushenok
www.artemcg.com/
/ artem.cg
SOUND DESIGN & EFFECTS
Evgeny Ryabovol
/ ryabovol
MUSIC CONSULTATION
Evgeniy Lashin
udzhingreen@gmail.com
MUSIC
Opening: Analog Space - Evgeny Ryabovol
Frozen Atom and SEI Sequence: Secret Universe - Olive Musique
Cathode at the Atomic Level: A New Beginning - Esther Abrami
Electrolyte: August Wilhelmsson - Until This Point
Discharging the Battery: Trevor Kowalski - And We Walk After
Final Scene: August Wilhelmsson - Dreams Of Another Reality
Credits Theme: Dark Planets - Isaac Marshall
BATTERY CELL components from the Twitter crew...
@ByWhatMeasure - Cell Casing in the opening scene
@Bimmer3D - 'Tabless Electrode' in the opening scene - Věda a technologie
![[Vowel]물고기는 물에서 살아야 해🐟🤣Fish have to live in the water #funny](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3G9MH063Cx4/mqdefault.jpg)
Interesting factoids and clarifications:
1) Although the electrons can travel at close to the speed of light, the rate at which the battery charges and discharges is often limited by the speed that lithium can travel between the electrodes through the electrolyte solution. When the battery is fully charged, the nickel oxide is starved of electrons, which can impact the lithium ion motion.
2) "Like a drop of ink dispersing in water." Lithium ions diffuse through a liquid, but there's a bit more going on here. The concentration gradient drives the lithium ions to the opposite electrode and is strengthened by the electrical field between the electrodes. That is, it's as if the ions are being pumped from one electrode to the other.
3) "When an electrical pathway opens between the anode and cathode, all the electrons between the cathode and anode sense the energy imbalance." What I'm referring to here is the complex dynamics of the electromagnetic fields that flow in and around the the electrical pathway between the cathode and anode. I anthropomorphised as a shortcut because electromagnetism would be another video entirely.
4) I used the chemistry definition of electropositive and electronegative in this video, which are different from the physics definition.
"the limiting factor" is heat. Next time use an actual battery and bring along a heat gun then pose the question "why do I need a cooling system in this specific battery powered device?" presumably by that meaning a car.
"Understand the need for cooling, understand the effect."
Simple as that.
Question. "batteries operate almost biologically, because they operate at scales spanning a million fold"...that phrase seems to be missing a word? A million fold of what? It maybe I'm being dense, or grasping the wrong end of the stick, but can you clarify this a little? I don't really think I understand this video completely, but it does give some understanding of what is going on, and I appreciate your work on these videos.
No worries mate, i studied pharmacy in germany and there is quit a lot more of electrochemics involved than you might think in the Curriculum. Everything you said makes perfect sense to experts since you chose to simplify at the right times. And due to these simplifications you made the Video even more accessible to the broader audience.
The Animations are World class, how did you animate it (what Programs)?
Love you content and please make more of These videos.
I have tought chemestry at University before, and this feels really good for teaching purposes. Keep up that kind of work Jordan
@@grahammonk8013 He is saying the difference in scale between the smallest and largest scales involved in understanding how a battery operates is a million. That is, the largest scale is 1 million times larger than the smallest scale. He is saying this is similar to the span of scales involved in understanding how biology works. So, the answer to "A million fold of what?" is a million fold of scale difference.
You sure the electrons moves at close to the speed of light and not at walking pace ?
It took me months of reading to understand these concepts. Now you have distilled it in a single video. What an incredible animation. Especially the SEI layer and intercalation examples. Your channel is awesome. I never miss a video!
Agreed! This is truly 1st class stuff! It's every bit as good as any documentary I've ever seen! You should be on Nebula and Curiosity Stream! (Are you?)
Seeing Will here just puts an extra seal of quality content approval. This is amazing example of information being distilled down to purest forms
I agree, the production quality is top notch. This is a very difficult subject to grasp and the animations help a lot.
Thanks for the support man! Much appreciated 🤜🤛
Thanks for sharing this on your community tab Will. I never would have found it relaying on CZcams algorithm, but it's precisely the kind of video I'm into. It was definitely informative for me.
Wow … just wow. Well done sir.
Hey man! Love your work too! Keep it up.
@@rogerstarkey5390 Yes please, these guys should team up ASAP.
@@rogerstarkey5390 yes!!!
Matt you have great videos and the puns…oh the puns.
@@thelimitingfactor Great video!
I am a lithium-ion battery engineer, and I think this is the best video I watched so far!
I'm really glad to hear it! Thanks for watching
In a lithium ion battery,Is the anode considered to be the negative terminal ?
@@htheh7728 Depends if you are charging or discharging. The anode is the electrode (terminal) on which you have oxidation (release of electrons). When you discharge li-ion batteries you have oxidation on the negative electrode (carbon electrode), so you can say the neg. electrode is the anode. When you are charging is the other way around.
@@ninoponchev thanks a lot.
This is undoubtedly the best piece of content ever created on the topic. Bravo
Hey thanks man! 😀
Branch Education has a comparable video on this topic but the visual representation here is fantastic.
1:17 "electron zips around the nucleus at km/s" - AFAIK physicists disproved that a hundred years ago, does the author not know quantum theory at all? P.S. the cloud of an electron waive is also not that difficult to visualize.
Hey Jordan, I taught chemistry at the high school level for 30 years and I definitely would have used this video with my students. Great job!
Glad to here it Joyce! I hope this gets a lot of traction in the education space. I added a lot of extra stuff in there so educators can stop and point things out that I didn't talk about in the video.
Wow, you have achieved a new level of professionalism with this video, Jordan! Yes, more like this one, please! Loved it! This is worthy of a BBC science documentary.
Cheers Lars! That's what I was going for. Batting with the big boys with 1/100 the budget.
@@thelimitingfactor And you did it! BBC should buy your entire battery series from you!
BBC 🤣 would wrap it in 2 hours of propaganda about how it is saving the planet and such...
The visual concepts are extraordinary
Absolutely breathtaking. Hard concepts are much more interesting and easier to understand when done this way.
This is an AMAZING video, and should be shown in all schools since how Li-Ion batteries are everywhere and knowledge of how they work has become something everyone needs to know.
WOW Jordon, this was so well done!!! Shout out to all the Patreon supporters and experts who gave their time, talent and financial support so that this information is available to us. I appreciate what every EV battery maker is doing even more now and better understand the immense hurdles they had to have faced to make this complex process even better and more reliable.
This is the most thorough explanation of how Lithium batteries work that I've seen in my months-long investigation of how batteries work. Great Job!
🙌😊
Great work Jordan. Amazing to think each frame of the video had to be designed from scratch. This is a true masterpiece.
Thanks stud!
Jordon if I was a teacher/professor of science your video series would be part of my lesson plan. It is just so GOOD! I get excited just seeing that you have a new video since I know I am going to be informed and entertained. Your presentations just keep getting better. I can only imagine how many hours this all takes. THANK YOU!
Says 16 months in the title.
Yeah man. Universities like to sell themselves on "we're top rated at this" or "you'll earn more after you graduate".. but I seriously think the whole undergraduate experience needs reinventing
Agreed..
@@tomrock6134 I also sgree
Brilliant video! This is by far the best description of battery chemistry I've ever seen.
Whew! Happy to hear it. Really proud of it, but nervous at the same time. It's a lot ot take in!
You know that you're doing something right when other great CZcamsrs are in the comments saying that you're doing it right 👍 Great job Jordan
Jordan, I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by this video!!! I cannot recall seeing a more clean and easy to understand explanation of fundamental battery physics and chemistry. I totally agree that a battery is analogous to a biological system in its nano-scale physical transformations. I would totally support ($) and love to see more videos like this. Congrats to you, Artem, Evgeny, and Evgeniy. This is better than Science Channel production values. 👏👏👏
Very curious about the SEI layer formation. Is it stable after facility formation, or still contributing to early battery capacity degradation in first cycles or use?
Hey man! They are reading the comments and I'm sure it's making their day, so thanks for mentioning them. Couldn't have done it without their skill!
Great question: The SEI continues to get thicker throughout the life of the battery. It's mostly stable after a few cycles. But, amongst other mechanisms, continues to rob the battery as it proceeds through its life.
@@thelimitingfactor Sure thing! That is a really awesome team you have! By the way, I watched your video again with headphones, and it sounds like the audio is a lower bit-rate compared to your usual videos? Your voice sounded a bit muffled. Otherwise all fantastic work. Can't wait to see what you all tackle next!
SEI formation appears to short-cycle the battery, causing a power surge. State of charge increases as the SEI layer thickens, effectively negating any attempts at thermal regulation by mechanical switching alone. Every Tesla uses coolant, but it still needs to be Replenished
@@NickoSwimmer More like Modulated
How can I like this a thousand times?
🤜🤛😀
Patreon 😁
@@rockon7848 How do you think I'm here while the vid is still hidden? :D
Spectacular. Guaranteed to inspire more than a few budding materials scientists out there. Thanks for this! PS loved the Helmholtz layer cameo. Ha!
😊 I hope so! I had a real deep desire to see some of these things visualized.
🤠 Hehe, I tried to sneak a little extra in here and there.
Lots of good B-roll in this for the community.
I am glad other people noticed it too! But I have some questions. Is it exclusive to the cathode only? Also according to some introductory explanations, this layer is formed when a metal surface is charger, either by a positive or a negative charge. But in our case, the metal loses or gains an electron and ion exactly at the same time, so shouldn't it always be remain neutral?
@@Mostafa_Nageeb It's a very complex and dynamic process. Quite difficult to get into the finer details of the processes that occur at electrode-electrolyte interfaces in a CZcams comment, but there are tons of videos online that go into detail. In fact the Kahn academy electrochemistry videos are a good place to start.
@@Finlaymacnab Thank you for your guidance. I'll look into them right away!
As someone who's just getting started in trying to become an electrochemical/ battery engineer, this is one of the coolest and most helpful videos I've ever seen. You've done an incredible job of explaining it all, and big props to you and the people who created all the animations!!
Thanks man! Glad it was helpful!
Wow congratulations Jordan! This is really good work much respect. I'm a frequent watcher of you and I thought I had a good grasp on batteries but watching this filled a lot of gaps I didn't know existed. Atomic level definitely needs a rewatch, made me realise how little I know there. It also made me realise there actually are different atomic and electrical pathways. Please do continue, really good work.
Jordan,
You understand the power of a metaphor. Your example of water breaking on a beach was really helpful.
Thanks for dumbing down the chemistry for me. I feel like I get it better than I ever have. Metaphors….keep ‘em coming.
Michael McKinney
This is great work Jordan. Thumbs up.
Cheers buddy and thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Best tutorial ever, thanks alot for explaining this stuff in an easy-to-understand way
I feel like I just spent another semester in EE again. Extremely well done with all your visuals.
Wow, this video explains so many of the things I have wondering about. One of my own major aha-moments was when I realized that the electrolyte allows ion-travel, but does not conduct electrons which is why the electrons are forced to travel externally and do actual work. Glad to see that you also included that insight. Absolutely amazing work!
Wooohoooo! I was hoping it would help things click. So many things I put in this video were things that researchers casually mentioned to me...and I was like "oooooooooh! Why has no one ever mentioned this before!?"
It is really weird how electrons stick to and flow *outside* of other matter.
In some ways a battery is a 2-fluid system: electrons on conductor, and ions in solvent.
The channel has just reached another level! Congrats to the graphics and sound design, your voice carrys the narration very well. Impressed overall.
So many physics and chemistry concepts explained in a clear concise way. Keep up the good work and production quality!
Best explanation of lithium batteries I've seen. Keep up the outstanding work.
AMAZING VIDEO!!!! The animations are out of this world and explination of how things work was clear and concise. Excellent job, I truly mean a very excellent job.
Beautifully executed, Jordan! Artem did great putting the animations together, and they help to make this information so much more accessible!
I agree, I was blown away by what he did!
To say this is amazing does not do it justice. This is visually better than multi-million dollar education programing channels. Just, wow! And don't miss the excellent sound design work that went into it as well!
I've been subbed to this channel for a couple years and this video is next-level. If this isn't deserving of a couple bucks on Patreon then I don't know what is. Thank you for the amazing content.
Truly excellent video! I'll be using it as a reference. Thank you for all the time and effort this must have taken!
Sure thing Jack! Happy to provide useful information.
Hi Jordan, at the start, when you talk about electrons, your narrative goes "Electrons zip around the nucleus at thousands of kilometres a second." So: I do appreciate that you are up against the problem of how to describe electron orbitals.
The aspect that is important for electrochemistry is that the Coulomb force (electrostatic force) falls off with distance. I recommend that a narrative concentrates on that.
About orbitals:
The closest analogy to an electron orbital is a standing wave. For an electron orbital the concept of 'speed of the electron' does not apply. From the time before quantum mechanics: if the electron is modeled as _orbiting_ the nucleus, then from the diameter of the atom, and the strength of the Coulomb force at that distance, a necessary speed of circumnavigation can be inferred. However, for the quantumechanical orbital that speed has no meaning.
There is a quite accessible discussion that I recommend: 'the Bohr atom' written by Michael Fowler. (Can't give a link; youtube comments with a link disappear.)
The important property is that the amount of energy that is required to rob a Lithium atom of its outer electron is consistent with the inverse square law of the Coulomb force. The two electrons of the lowest energy level shield the nucleus, so that effectively the outer electron is attracted by 1 unit of positive charge. That and the distance of the outer electron makes it relatively easy to rob a lithium atom of its outer electron.
As you describe: there is no barrier to the Lithium ions going into solution in the electrolyte. Conversely, for electrons there is a steep energy barrier to dissolve into the electrolyte. (I assume an electron must happen to find an atom that will accept an electron (and become a negatively charged ion) in order for the electron to make it into the electrolyte. I assume the electrolyte is designed to make formation of such negatively charged ions energetically unfavorable.)
Upon discharging of the battery the Lithium ions start claiming their electron back. As Lithium ions go out of solution (and reconstitute themselves to lithium atoms) a gradient developes in the electrolyte, and then Lithium atoms migrate down that gradient.
Useful clarification, if at the cost of going a bit deeper into the explanation. Anyway, I appreciated it.
Thanks for the comment Cleon!
Agreed the old planetary orbit model of electrons simplification needs to retired and never used again on pain of death. the Quantum mechanics explanation of what an atom looks like while a slight bit more dense makes way more sense.
czcams.com/video/W2Xb2GFK2yc/video.html
@@jasonbirchoff2605 I think the shell model while not totally accurate is still useful, especially when doing practical chemistry/engineering that doesn't need the extra complexity.
@@jasonbirchoff2605 agreed, especially since we know it would radiate energy and decay immediately. No use holding onto incorrect models no matter how simple it makes things. It's simply wrong!
That was straight up and above 3blue1brown quality, truly perfectly animated and clearly understandable.
I'm shocked, I didn't expect such a high quality production. Congratulations.
Wow! The quality is AMAZING! This should drop into schools and technical institutes everywhere. Well done!
I hold a master in electrical engineering, and this is the best explanation of sub atomic behavior for batteries I have seen in my life. You sir, are an internet treasure.
This is absolutely the best education video of the year, especially with the scaling of battery usage.
Imagine if we got a full course at school with this level of quality
This is the best explanation ever of how a Li-Ion battery works. I am super happy to be a patreon. More please.
Really happy to hear it! I was concerned that I stuffed too much in, lol
Never expected someone could explain it in such a way, great respect and thanks!
I like how if someone has been a subscriber of your channel for the last year or two that none of this is new to us. But it takes all the important parts about what makes a battery work and packages it up nicely in a reasonable length video that we can share with people who aren't battery nerds.
This was a straight up EXPERIENCE fam...thank you for putting this together! Hope all is well stud!
Hey you sexy beast! Doing pretty well, just packing up for the move. Ready to rock and roll.
@@thelimitingfactor Oh boy...everyone's favorite event! Lol hope everything goes smooth for ya Jordan!
This video is amazing, and that is an extreme understatement. Thank you for your hard work. Your channel deserves millions of subscribers. Please make more videos like these. Your contribution to the youtube community is immense.
Well, that was incredible. Those graphic animations are unbelievably good.
This should be used in schools. Well done to all involved
Excellent simulation. I only recently discovered how electron shell configurations are the drivers for modern chemistry. Your video demonstrated the complex chemical/quantum system that Lion batteries are designed around.
WOW! Stunning! Thank you Jordan and everybody who lent support to this amazing video. Fantastic job!
I've read about how batteries work, but I've never really understood it until I watched this video. It finally "clicked" for me. Great work, Jordan!
Awesome! Glad to hear it Kate!
Compiling these details and outlining them with collegiate and general examples work wonders in helping accelerate the concept (and biological) functioning of Li-ion. Sublime work here.
One of your best videos! The graphics and animations are great.
Wow, that was a really fantastic piece
My always knowledge craving brain says : Next level. Keep going Sir. This was one of the best videos I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot of them. Applause for You.
To me it was a light show with the talk track in another language ! I would so love to be able to grasp more of this beautiful presentation but nearing 70 years in it’s doubtful. Still it’s an honer to dwell amongst you clever kids ! Salutations ! ☀️
As always, your animations are simply the best, in the entire world. You are a master at turning knowledge into a visual medium, much more readily absorbed. I thank you.
Jordan, that was fantastic! So insightful. Your content is going from strength to strength. Epic job. Really well done mate.
This is a teaching masterclass. Abstract equations and lengthy narratives simply aren't adequate to understanding HOW a mechanism actually works. Well done.
😊🙏🏼
The BEST Li-ion battery explainer video on the internet!!! Can we all agree???
Truly awesome! Please do more like it!
😁 Thanks for the support!
What a phenomenal video Jordan! The amazing visuals plus explanation has made things click from abstract to fathomable. Huge props to you and the team for this one 🙌🏽🎉
Thanks Jordan, this was very helpful to me. The only suggestion I have is you might have explained what an ion is before using the term. I think you have explained this in a previous video but an explanation here might have helped this video stand on its own.
Fair point!
So professional with incredibly appealing animation that taught a lot of information. thank you so much
What an amazing video!!! The visuals, the flow of the text... just perfect! Oh and did I mention the visuals? Yes please more of this stuff! 🙏
Well done on this video! The visuals are impeccable!
This is the BEST animation on battery out here! PLEASE KEEP MAKING THEM!!!
Nice visuals, but lets keep in mind that the nucleus of a hydrogen atom is 10^5 smaller then the atom itself, so for a proton as pictured (about 5 mm diameter on my screen) the actual orbit of the electron will have a rdius of about 250m.
That was an unusually good video, unlike anything I've ever viewed on lithium batteries. Excellent, and I'd love to see more like it!
30 seconds in, i'm watching a movie !
Gonna have to put this up on the big scree with surround sound haha
quality just went through the roof !
Thank you
Woohoo! That's what I was going for.
I am currently working on Li ion battery development field, and this is super helpful. Great video.
As always Jordan you have raised the bar again for CZcams video quality. Not only was the animation fantastic and explanation clear (I've got to watch it again and again to get it) Your choice of music is right up my ally.
Wow, the visual effects were popping and your dulcet tones voice over made one incredible package. I see this video being played in schoolrooms around the world!! Congrats on reaching some incredible production values with this video, you've set the bar really high. Thanks again for everything you do in this space.
I love all of your videos, but the quality of this one is really impresive in every aspect. Thanks!!
Thank you, a very easy to understand treatment of a complex subject, the animations make it much easier to understand. Top notch production values.
I've been looking forward to seeing this video since you first mentioned it in other videos months ago. Definitely worth the wait! You found the perfect balance of depth and clarity. Looking forward to more!
Well worth the effort you all put into this. Thanks for your fantastic contribution to science communication and the EV space Jordan!
This is amazing in detail and visualisation. The clarity by which the process is described is incredible. Epic! Thank you Jordan.
This is insanely good. I am amazed that community sponsored education has gotten to this level
Thank you & the whole team!
I can only image the many hours it has taken to explain this complex material in such an easy to understand way.
Making things simple is really hard!!
Well done!! As always, your videos are amazing and I look forward to each and every one!!! I’m stoked you’re continuing to work with Shirley, what an amazing connection you made there!
These visuals are amazing and makes it so much easier (at least for me) to understand..
You have a great team you’re working with and kudos for acknowledging each and everyone of them!
Very nice and concise explanation of some difficult "magic". Thanks for making the video and sharing it with the world.
Kudos, Jordan! Your best work/video/compilation so far (which still mean that your other content is also top notch)!
This is absolutely glorious! Incredible effort. Love it! Recommending it to everyone I know.
My visualization of the electron movement is like the six ball pendulum toy, where you swing the ball on one end and the ball on the opposite end instantly reacts.
Except in this case the electron doesn't swing back but rather circles around and hits the next one in line.
It's a great analogy! The original script mentioned a Newton's cradle but one of the people who reviewed it said most people wouldn't konw what that is.
If you would put a little space between the balls it would probably be quite accurate 🤔
Assuming 100% elasticity (no energy lost by bouncing)
Thanking everyone who helped you -- that is a class act!
Just wow! Thank you so much Jordan, this quality absolutely incredible!
In another video, perhaps you could explain why Lithium is currently the favorite element for batteries. What about other elements that are near Lithium on the periodic table? Pros & cons. What about future prospects?
Lithium is light, cheap, and abundant.
Sodium will be coming up next. I'll cover it as soon as I can get some solid answers. The more I look into Sodium the more it falls apart. I was convinced when CATL did their announcement that sodium would soon skyrocket. It will, but it will be the latter half of this decade.
Wow, your mastery in explaining is truly impressive! After a decade in battery research, this is the clearest explanation I've encountered. Excellent work!🎉😊
😊 Glad you enjoyed it!
By far the best, most intuitive, explanation of lithium battery chemistry and physics. One of the best channels on CZcams just kicked it up several notches. More please Jordan,!
Best visualization I’ve seen on CZcams yet. Amazing work! Helps me as an engineering student a ton. Thank you.
Kudos! EXCELLENT video explanation! One thing I felt was missing and thought you'd touch on, was dendrite formation. But still the best explanation I've come across. Keep up the great work!
I think it's disingenuous for a school of engineering to give a dissertation based solely on physics
That video should be mandatory in schools.
thanks. this is an extremely nice visualization and motivation to think deeper and ask more questions to resolve the details of the process
I've had this video in my "Watch later" folder, because I really wanted the time and moment to fully appreciate it. And I loved it! Thanks for making these concepts understandable in an accessible way.
Amazing video and animations! What would be a great addition or part 2 which I still struggle a bit is how the cathode materials impact the real life behaviour and performance. E.g. what happens at the chemical level with LFP vs NMC battery and what is the actual difference?
Too many physicists in the chat. Not enough chemical engineers
Absolutely amazing video, Jordan. Please make more of these.
Question 1: Why are Li Ions (and their electrons) from the cathode forced towards the anode when I plug in my battery? I understand the release of potential energy from the anode to the cathode, but I don't understand it the other way around.
Question 2: Can you explain in more detail the Electrolyte Solution, and how it plays a role in creating the Solid Electrolyte Interface upon the first charging cycle? I'd like to know more as to how the Vinylene Carbonate helps to create the Solid Electrolyte Interface.
Thanks so much!
1) That's a video in itself. Good question.
2) No one really knows exactly how this works in fine detail. It's freak and lucky accident, otherwise batteries wouldn't work.
@@thelimitingfactor Incredible video Jordan. I have been wondering about question number 1 for a long time and haven't found anything that explains it well to me. Could you please make a video on that :)
Oxidation Reduction of the electrolyte occurs at the anode during Charging and also at the cathode during Discharge. Think of the SEI layer as electrochemical waste that forms as the electrolyte is consumed
Thank you, really well explained. Conscise clear to the point and a bang on visualization to complete the picture. Best piece on the topic I have seen period.
This is awesome! This is the way to inform and educate.
Thank you Jordan!
This is amazing, thanks for this! Will definitely be coming back to this every now and then and hope my understanding grows. Biggest confusing factors for me still are the way those electrons / ions are able to move. I understand for the electrons, they "push" each other forwards, a bit like tennis balls in a tube? Then a (different) electron would arrive at the annode near-instantly when one frees up from the cathode, but how and how fast do the ions travel through the electrolyte?
I'm guessing it's around several minutes for a single ion to travel from cathode to anode. First it has to get freed from the cathode, then it has to get pulled along by the concentration gradient, then find somewhere to nest in the anode. The steepness of the gradient depends on how aggressively you're charging (or discharging) the battery. More volts -> more power -> steeper gradient -> faster movement.
How a concentration gradient itself works would need further explanation.
It would take minutes this is why you need the battery to settle for several minutes before you can correctly measure the voltage. The battery needs the time for the ion to disperse and reach equilibrium.
Electrons: Combine tennis balls in a tube with a newtons cradle.
Ions: Depends on how quickly you discharge the battery. I'd have to look into this more.
In principle, both electrons and Li ions are collectively hopping around, so both fit to the "tennis balls tube with a newtons cradle" picture, just geometry and dimensions are quite different.
Here is one idea how to think about this:
Copper exhibits an electrical conductivity in the range of ~10^7 S/m and the electrolyte exhibits an ionic conductivity of ~10^-1 S/m. So, the conductivity of the system for electrons is around 10^8 (100 million) times higher than that for the Li ions.
In the battery cell, the Li ions are moving on average from the center of the cathode to the center of the anode, which according to Jordan's picture at 5:00 is a travelling distance of around 80 microns. The second important parameter is the area, through which they have to move. A typical area loading seems to be around 4 mAh/cm², which translates for a 100 kWh Model S battery to around 700 m² of electrode area.
It is also important to note that in the battery there is in the order of 10% of the Li being in the electrolyte and 90% being in the electrodes. So you really find the same ions from the cathode going over to the anode and back.
In contrast, the number of electrons in the current collectors, all the wiring, the motor and so on seem to be much higher, so maybe not exactly the same electrons are making it the whole way to the other electrode. On the other hand, all the electric current needs to pass through the same cable at some point, so much longer distance and much lower diameter. That is why the motor and cables are still getting quite hot, even though the electron conductivity is so high ;-)