Overview of the top five super battery technologies -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
The improvement of battery life determines the fate of electric vehicles. Scientific researchers are pursuing new discoveries in chemistry and materials, and car companies and battery suppliers are working together to reduce costs and add energy. Among the emerging new technologies, a lot of research has been invested in replacing lithium-ion chemistries, and some have become popular applications and solutions.
1. MIT: Semi-solid lithium flow battery
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and a spin-off company called 24M have developed an advanced process for manufacturing lithium batteries: semi-solid lithium flow batteries, which are not only expected to significantly reduce production costs, but also improve battery performance. Make it easier to recycle.
The founder of 24M Company is Jiang Yeming, a professor at MIT and one of the former founders of A123 Battery Company. The name Jiang Yeming is well-known in the battery industry and ranks 66th among global materials scientists. He is regarded as the world's leading expert in the battery industry. In addition to working on lithium iron phosphate batteries, he and his colleagues proposed the concept of "semi-solid flow batteries" five years ago, and he has been working on commercialization over the years.
People are constantly looking for positive and negative electrode materials to increase energy density, whether dry batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries or lithium batteries. No matter how the materials are upgraded, traditional batteries have a low utilization rate of active materials. Materials that can generate electrical energy are wrapped in necessary inactive materials. among. In common lithium batteries, lithium materials only contain about 2% of the weight of the battery. These inactive materials increase the cost of the battery and reduce the utilization of active materials. Because of these weaknesses of traditional batteries, flow batteries were born. The flow battery can be regarded as an independent large battery. The positive and negative electrolytes are stored separately, and the concentrated reaction produces electrical energy. This eliminates the need for expensive additional materials and greatly improves efficiency.
Since flow batteries are so good and efficient, why haven't they been widely adopted? Because flow batteries also have many disadvantages. At present, the concentration of flow batteries is limited. Although the efficiency is theoretically higher than that of traditional batteries, the solution concentration is low, the energy density and power density are not advantageous, and the price is not cheap. The energy density of the solution itself is low, and with the addition of additional devices such as tanks for holding the solution and pumps for pumping the solution, the overall performance of the flow battery system will be even worse.
Therefore, Jiang Yeming developed a semi-solid lithium flow battery. This flow battery does not use a solution, but uses a slurry formed by mixing fine lithium compound particles and a liquid electrolyte. Because the energy density of this kind of mud can be made higher than that of solution, the flow battery has the advantage of large capacity. When Jiang Yeming was writing his thesis at MIT, the energy of his semi-solid flow battery could already reach 500WH. /L.
The principle of this battery is actually very simple. The electrode is a slurry formed by mixing small lithium compound particles and liquid electrolyte. The battery uses two streams of slurry, one with positive charge and one with negative charge. Both streams of slurry pass through the aluminum current collector and the copper current collector. There is a water-permeable membrane between the appliances. When two beams of mud pass through the membrane, lithium ions are exchanged, causing an electric current to flow on the outside. To recharge the battery, simply apply a voltage to cause the ions to retreat across the membrane. In this way, the material utilization rate of its positive and negative electrodes is much higher than that of traditional batteries. Only one layer of film is enough, and the various materials used are also much cheaper than traditional batteries. Moreover, semi-solid lithium flow batteries can be made flexible (think of two balls of mud wrapped in a plastic bag). Not only can they be bent and folded, they will not be damaged even if they are penetrated by bullets, and they are safe and durable. A big advantage.
Theoretically, semi-solid lithium flow batteries have higher energy density, lower price, safer and bright prospects. However, the principle and structure of this kind of thing are completely different from current batteries. Production line design, quality control, testing standards, and mass production processes all have to be explored from scratch. Therefore, Jiang Yeming's 24M company has been doing things from laboratory to mass production over the years, solving various problems encountered in the mass production of new structure batteries, and gradually formed a manual production line. Later, it only took them 6 minutes to manually produce a unit the size of a mobile phone battery. After exploration, the team repeatedly improved the production process and finally created an industrialized production platform, which resulted in qualitative changes in the energy density and production speed of the battery.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
24M has manufactured about 10,000 of these batteries on a prototype production line, and some are being tested by three industrial partners, including an oil company in Thailand and Japanese heavy equipment manufacturer IHI Corporation. The new process has obtained 8 patents, and another 75 patents are under review. Next, Jiang Yeming is preparing to launch the third round of financing. The new funds will be used to develop a machine that can produce a battery core in 2-10 seconds. This shows that semi-solid flow batteries have reached the large-scale testing stage. After this stage, they will be mass-produced.
The cost advantages, safety advantages, and capacity advantages of flow batteries are not outstanding in the mobile phones and tablets we use daily. On the contrary, this kind of large-capacity, cheap, and safe battery is a perfect match for new energy vehicles and home energy storage. Once electric vehicles use this kind of battery, the price will immediately become more affordable and the cruising range will be longer. Moreover, this kind of battery is safer and not afraid of ordinary collisions, which is very good for the safety of electric vehicles.
Semi-solid lithium flow batteries may really create a battery revolution, and maybe in just 3-5 years, the world of electric vehicles will be completely different.
2.nanoFLOWCELL: Flow battery can last 1,000 kilometers
At the 85th Geneva Motor Show, which opened on March 5, nanoFLOWCELL from Liechtenstein, a small country in Central Europe, not only brought the QUANTF electric supercar with a range of 800 kilometers. In addition to its cool appearance, the biggest highlight is the use of lithium-ion flow batteries as a high-performance electric supercar. The driving force of a supercar, with a cruising range of up to 800 kilometers.
Flow batteries combine aspects of electrochemical batteries and fuel-powered lithium batteries to deliver up to four times the performance of the lithium battery technology that powers today's electric vehicles. In addition to having significant advantages in price and driving range, the new flow battery is safer than the batteries currently used in cars and is easier to integrate into car designs.
Flow batteries combine aspects of electrochemical batteries and fuel-powered lithium batteries. Liquid electrolyte is contained in the two battery compartments and circulates through the battery. A membrane in the center of the system separates the two electrolyte solutions but still allows electrical charges to flow, creating power for the power system. One of the advantages of this system is that it uses a larger battery compartment, which means a higher energy density. Under the rated voltage of 600V and the rated current of 50A, the system can continuously output a maximum power of 30 kilowatts. Compared with the lithium battery technology that powers today's electric vehicles, the performance is four times higher, which means that it can cover five times the range of traditional components of the same weight.
The QUANTF prototype is equipped with a battery compartment with a volume of 200 liters and a storage capacity of 120 kWh. Under low load conditions, the vehicle consumes approximately 20 kWh per 100 kilometers. The company said that it is expected to expand the volume of the battery compartment to 800 liters in the future. The car is equipped with four motors with a continuous power of 120 kilowatts and a peak power of 170 kilowatts. They can achieve four-wheel drive driving through torque distribution and can also be used as a backup energy storage device for the two supercapacitors in the car. The peak torque of each wheel can reach 2900 N m. It only takes an astonishing 2.8 seconds to accelerate to 100 kilometers.
3.Sakti3 solid-state battery technology breakthrough doubles electric vehicle mileage to nearly 800 kilometers
Sakti3, a lithium battery startup company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the sixth largest city in the United States, recently received a US$15 million investment from the British home appliance giant Dyson. This startup company specializes in lithium battery research and development and has a unique skill. , that is, the energy density of the battery developed by Sakti3 reaches 1,000 watt hours per liter, which is twice that of ordinary lithium batteries. The battery performance of smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles will therefore be greatly improved.
Sakti3’s mysterious battery uses new materials and production techniques to achieve higher energy density. They claim that it can store 1,000 watt-hours per liter, and the range of electric vehicles can be increased from 256 miles to 480 miles (about 772 kilometers). The manufacturing cost Low, fast charging and discharging, more environmentally friendly, and safer than some standards. This technology eliminates the flammable liquid electrolyte in traditional lithium batteries, achieves technological advancements through its high-energy storage materials, and most importantly, it is cheaper, about $100 per kilowatt-hour, far lower than the current $200 to $300. The market price of US dollars can be applied to electric vehicles subject to cost and mileage constraints in the future.
Currently, Sakti3's lithium battery technology is in the research and development stage and is still "several years" away from commercialization. Many battery startups have struggled to turn laboratory technology into real products, but have been unable to achieve major breakthroughs, in part because their prototypes are custom-made and require expensive manufacturing techniques that are difficult to mass-produce. The prototype product of Sakti3 uses standard production equipment. After improvement and upgrade, it has a high possibility of commercialization.
4. Volkswagen: Battery costs fall and energy density increases
Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn recently revealed that the company is developing a "super-battery" that can significantly increase the range of electric vehicles and is now close to achieving a breakthrough in new battery technology.
Winterkorn said in an interview with German media: Volkswagen is developing a super battery in Silicon Valley, California. The new battery is cheaper, smaller and more powerful. An electric version of the Volkswagen brand model (after equipped with a super battery) is expected to have a pure electric range of 300 kilometers (186 miles).
So, what technology will Volkswagen use to significantly increase battery energy density? And significantly improve electric vehicle range? At present, the focus is mainly on the upgraded version of existing lithium battery solutions and the newer solid-state battery technology.
In terms of cost reduction, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a member of the Volkswagen brand board of directors in charge of R&D business, revealed that plans are currently underway to unify battery pack specifications and hope that all electrified vehicles in the future can shift to a single lithium battery unit design. Unified specifications will inevitably bring about cost reductions, with the goal of reducing battery costs by 66% by simplifying battery unit design.
5. LGChem’s new battery technology enables electric vehicles to run 500 kilometers
South Korean battery giant LG Chem announced the development of new technology that allows electric vehicles to travel 400-500 kilometers on a single charge, doubling the mileage.
At present, the average electric vehicle can only travel less than 200 kilometers after charging. Park Jin-soo, vice president and CEO of LG Chem, said that the company has developed new technology that can increase the driving range of electric vehicles to 400-500 kilometers, and the products will be put into production soon, but declined to disclose more details.
1. MIT: Semi-solid lithium flow battery
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States and a spin-off company called 24M have developed an advanced process for manufacturing lithium batteries: semi-solid lithium flow batteries, which are not only expected to significantly reduce production costs, but also improve battery performance. Make it easier to recycle.
The founder of 24M Company is Jiang Yeming, a professor at MIT and one of the former founders of A123 Battery Company. The name Jiang Yeming is well-known in the battery industry and ranks 66th among global materials scientists. He is regarded as the world's leading expert in the battery industry. In addition to working on lithium iron phosphate batteries, he and his colleagues proposed the concept of "semi-solid flow batteries" five years ago, and he has been working on commercialization over the years.
People are constantly looking for positive and negative electrode materials to increase energy density, whether dry batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries or lithium batteries. No matter how the materials are upgraded, traditional batteries have a low utilization rate of active materials. Materials that can generate electrical energy are wrapped in necessary inactive materials. among. In common lithium batteries, lithium materials only contain about 2% of the weight of the battery. These inactive materials increase the cost of the battery and reduce the utilization of active materials. Because of these weaknesses of traditional batteries, flow batteries were born. The flow battery can be regarded as an independent large battery. The positive and negative electrolytes are stored separately, and the concentrated reaction produces electrical energy. This eliminates the need for expensive additional materials and greatly improves efficiency.
Since flow batteries are so good and efficient, why haven't they been widely adopted? Because flow batteries also have many disadvantages. At present, the concentration of flow batteries is limited. Although the efficiency is theoretically higher than that of traditional batteries, the solution concentration is low, the energy density and power density are not advantageous, and the price is not cheap. The energy density of the solution itself is low, and with the addition of additional devices such as tanks for holding the solution and pumps for pumping the solution, the overall performance of the flow battery system will be even worse.
Therefore, Jiang Yeming developed a semi-solid lithium flow battery. This flow battery does not use a solution, but uses a slurry formed by mixing fine lithium compound particles and a liquid electrolyte. Because the energy density of this kind of mud can be made higher than that of solution, the flow battery has the advantage of large capacity. When Jiang Yeming was writing his thesis at MIT, the energy of his semi-solid flow battery could already reach 500WH. /L.
The principle of this battery is actually very simple. The electrode is a slurry formed by mixing small lithium compound particles and liquid electrolyte. The battery uses two streams of slurry, one with positive charge and one with negative charge. Both streams of slurry pass through the aluminum current collector and the copper current collector. There is a water-permeable membrane between the appliances. When two beams of mud pass through the membrane, lithium ions are exchanged, causing an electric current to flow on the outside. To recharge the battery, simply apply a voltage to cause the ions to retreat across the membrane. In this way, the material utilization rate of its positive and negative electrodes is much higher than that of traditional batteries. Only one layer of film is enough, and the various materials used are also much cheaper than traditional batteries. Moreover, semi-solid lithium flow batteries can be made flexible (think of two balls of mud wrapped in a plastic bag). Not only can they be bent and folded, they will not be damaged even if they are penetrated by bullets, and they are safe and durable. A big advantage.
Theoretically, semi-solid lithium flow batteries have higher energy density, lower price, safer and bright prospects. However, the principle and structure of this kind of thing are completely different from current batteries. Production line design, quality control, testing standards, and mass production processes all have to be explored from scratch. Therefore, Jiang Yeming's 24M company has been doing things from laboratory to mass production over the years, solving various problems encountered in the mass production of new structure batteries, and gradually formed a manual production line. Later, it only took them 6 minutes to manually produce a unit the size of a mobile phone battery. After exploration, the team repeatedly improved the production process and finally created an industrialized production platform, which resulted in qualitative changes in the energy density and production speed of the battery.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
24M has manufactured about 10,000 of these batteries on a prototype production line, and some are being tested by three industrial partners, including an oil company in Thailand and Japanese heavy equipment manufacturer IHI Corporation. The new process has obtained 8 patents, and another 75 patents are under review. Next, Jiang Yeming is preparing to launch the third round of financing. The new funds will be used to develop a machine that can produce a battery core in 2-10 seconds. This shows that semi-solid flow batteries have reached the large-scale testing stage. After this stage, they will be mass-produced.
The cost advantages, safety advantages, and capacity advantages of flow batteries are not outstanding in the mobile phones and tablets we use daily. On the contrary, this kind of large-capacity, cheap, and safe battery is a perfect match for new energy vehicles and home energy storage. Once electric vehicles use this kind of battery, the price will immediately become more affordable and the cruising range will be longer. Moreover, this kind of battery is safer and not afraid of ordinary collisions, which is very good for the safety of electric vehicles.
Semi-solid lithium flow batteries may really create a battery revolution, and maybe in just 3-5 years, the world of electric vehicles will be completely different.
2.nanoFLOWCELL: Flow battery can last 1,000 kilometers
At the 85th Geneva Motor Show, which opened on March 5, nanoFLOWCELL from Liechtenstein, a small country in Central Europe, not only brought the QUANTF electric supercar with a range of 800 kilometers. In addition to its cool appearance, the biggest highlight is the use of lithium-ion flow batteries as a high-performance electric supercar. The driving force of a supercar, with a cruising range of up to 800 kilometers.
Flow batteries combine aspects of electrochemical batteries and fuel-powered lithium batteries to deliver up to four times the performance of the lithium battery technology that powers today's electric vehicles. In addition to having significant advantages in price and driving range, the new flow battery is safer than the batteries currently used in cars and is easier to integrate into car designs.
Flow batteries combine aspects of electrochemical batteries and fuel-powered lithium batteries. Liquid electrolyte is contained in the two battery compartments and circulates through the battery. A membrane in the center of the system separates the two electrolyte solutions but still allows electrical charges to flow, creating power for the power system. One of the advantages of this system is that it uses a larger battery compartment, which means a higher energy density. Under the rated voltage of 600V and the rated current of 50A, the system can continuously output a maximum power of 30 kilowatts. Compared with the lithium battery technology that powers today's electric vehicles, the performance is four times higher, which means that it can cover five times the range of traditional components of the same weight.
The QUANTF prototype is equipped with a battery compartment with a volume of 200 liters and a storage capacity of 120 kWh. Under low load conditions, the vehicle consumes approximately 20 kWh per 100 kilometers. The company said that it is expected to expand the volume of the battery compartment to 800 liters in the future. The car is equipped with four motors with a continuous power of 120 kilowatts and a peak power of 170 kilowatts. They can achieve four-wheel drive driving through torque distribution and can also be used as a backup energy storage device for the two supercapacitors in the car. The peak torque of each wheel can reach 2900 N m. It only takes an astonishing 2.8 seconds to accelerate to 100 kilometers.
3.Sakti3 solid-state battery technology breakthrough doubles electric vehicle mileage to nearly 800 kilometers
Sakti3, a lithium battery startup company located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the sixth largest city in the United States, recently received a US$15 million investment from the British home appliance giant Dyson. This startup company specializes in lithium battery research and development and has a unique skill. , that is, the energy density of the battery developed by Sakti3 reaches 1,000 watt hours per liter, which is twice that of ordinary lithium batteries. The battery performance of smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles will therefore be greatly improved.
Sakti3’s mysterious battery uses new materials and production techniques to achieve higher energy density. They claim that it can store 1,000 watt-hours per liter, and the range of electric vehicles can be increased from 256 miles to 480 miles (about 772 kilometers). The manufacturing cost Low, fast charging and discharging, more environmentally friendly, and safer than some standards. This technology eliminates the flammable liquid electrolyte in traditional lithium batteries, achieves technological advancements through its high-energy storage materials, and most importantly, it is cheaper, about $100 per kilowatt-hour, far lower than the current $200 to $300. The market price of US dollars can be applied to electric vehicles subject to cost and mileage constraints in the future.
Currently, Sakti3's lithium battery technology is in the research and development stage and is still "several years" away from commercialization. Many battery startups have struggled to turn laboratory technology into real products, but have been unable to achieve major breakthroughs, in part because their prototypes are custom-made and require expensive manufacturing techniques that are difficult to mass-produce. The prototype product of Sakti3 uses standard production equipment. After improvement and upgrade, it has a high possibility of commercialization.
4. Volkswagen: Battery costs fall and energy density increases
Volkswagen Group CEO Martin Winterkorn recently revealed that the company is developing a "super-battery" that can significantly increase the range of electric vehicles and is now close to achieving a breakthrough in new battery technology.
Winterkorn said in an interview with German media: Volkswagen is developing a super battery in Silicon Valley, California. The new battery is cheaper, smaller and more powerful. An electric version of the Volkswagen brand model (after equipped with a super battery) is expected to have a pure electric range of 300 kilometers (186 miles).
So, what technology will Volkswagen use to significantly increase battery energy density? And significantly improve electric vehicle range? At present, the focus is mainly on the upgraded version of existing lithium battery solutions and the newer solid-state battery technology.
In terms of cost reduction, Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a member of the Volkswagen brand board of directors in charge of R&D business, revealed that plans are currently underway to unify battery pack specifications and hope that all electrified vehicles in the future can shift to a single lithium battery unit design. Unified specifications will inevitably bring about cost reductions, with the goal of reducing battery costs by 66% by simplifying battery unit design.
5. LGChem’s new battery technology enables electric vehicles to run 500 kilometers
South Korean battery giant LG Chem announced the development of new technology that allows electric vehicles to travel 400-500 kilometers on a single charge, doubling the mileage.
At present, the average electric vehicle can only travel less than 200 kilometers after charging. Park Jin-soo, vice president and CEO of LG Chem, said that the company has developed new technology that can increase the driving range of electric vehicles to 400-500 kilometers, and the products will be put into production soon, but declined to disclose more details.
