The next generation of new battery technology raises doubts -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Batteries are the hope of almost all new energy industries. All kinds of electronic equipment and electric vehicles need batteries. The technology and cost of batteries are the key to the marketization and popularization of these new energy products. Lithium ion batteries are the mainstream of battery technology now. However, many new companies are betting on the so-called next-generation new battery technology. However, whether it has commercial conditions or not has aroused experts' doubts about its prospects.
MIT Science and Technology Review reported that ARPA-E, an advanced alternative energy research program of the US Department of Energy, sponsored 75 energy storage studies, and obtained many forward-looking results. Ellen Williams, its director, also said optimistically to the media, "We have reached the Holy Grail (expanded capacitance) in the battery field." However, the report believes that small, low-cost energy storage is still full of variables.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Now many new companies are getting closer and closer to producing equipment with economic benefits, safety, small size and high density energy, and the storage cost per kilowatt hour can be less than $100. This price of energy storage technology can solve the power continuation problems such as wind energy and solar energy, and also make electric cars lighter and cheaper.
However, the commercialization goal is far away. Even the CEO of Tesla, LonMusk, was forced to admit that he was gradually improving the lithium-ion battery technology, rather than making a great leap forward. In fact, many researchers believe that energy storage should surpass the lithium-ion battery technology that has attracted market attention in the past 10 years, and compete with lithium-ion batteries in new chemical and physical forms. In May this year, the United States Department of Energy held a seminar entitled "Beyond Lithium Ion". This year is the ninth.
Hu Qichao, founder of Solid Energy Systems, has developed lithium metal batteries with metal anodes instead of graphite materials used for traditional lithium ion battery anodes, which can greatly improve the energy density of current electronic equipment. According to the report, the most important obstacle to the development of new systems is the moving process from concept to product. It is particularly difficult in the battery field, because when you improve one aspect, you compromise to other aspects.
In addition, energy storage research also has multiple problems, such as foam batteries, liquid flow batteries and various chemical materials. No one knows which technology will attract the most funds and research heat. LuxResearch reports that the investment in energy storage has exceeded 4 billion dollars. To develop the next generation of batteries, newly established companies that do not use lithium-ion batteries have received an average of only 40 million dollars in the past eight years. Tesla has invested 5 billion dollars in Gigafactory, a lithium-ion battery factory.
The threshold for developing new battery materials is very high. It will cost 500 million dollars just to establish a small production line to put research details into production. Automobile manufacturers may have to spend years testing new battery systems before deciding whether to purchase them. If your company has only 5 million dollars a year, it is difficult to invest 500 million dollars in manufacturing.
Even if the new battery manufacturer commercializes the new technology, it will also face the problem of increasing production and finding buyers. LeydenEnergy, A123 Systems, Seeo, Sakti3 all failed because of factors such as production and price that do not meet investors' expectations. Samsung, LG and Panasonic, the three major battery manufacturers in the world, are not interested in new chemistry and significantly changing battery technology. They prefer to gradually improve existing technology.
Although the first lithium-ion battery came out as early as the 1970s, the technology has become better and better. This is the last thing that start-ups who innovate battery technology are willing to mention, and it is also the biggest problem they face.
MIT Science and Technology Review reported that ARPA-E, an advanced alternative energy research program of the US Department of Energy, sponsored 75 energy storage studies, and obtained many forward-looking results. Ellen Williams, its director, also said optimistically to the media, "We have reached the Holy Grail (expanded capacitance) in the battery field." However, the report believes that small, low-cost energy storage is still full of variables.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Now many new companies are getting closer and closer to producing equipment with economic benefits, safety, small size and high density energy, and the storage cost per kilowatt hour can be less than $100. This price of energy storage technology can solve the power continuation problems such as wind energy and solar energy, and also make electric cars lighter and cheaper.
However, the commercialization goal is far away. Even the CEO of Tesla, LonMusk, was forced to admit that he was gradually improving the lithium-ion battery technology, rather than making a great leap forward. In fact, many researchers believe that energy storage should surpass the lithium-ion battery technology that has attracted market attention in the past 10 years, and compete with lithium-ion batteries in new chemical and physical forms. In May this year, the United States Department of Energy held a seminar entitled "Beyond Lithium Ion". This year is the ninth.
Hu Qichao, founder of Solid Energy Systems, has developed lithium metal batteries with metal anodes instead of graphite materials used for traditional lithium ion battery anodes, which can greatly improve the energy density of current electronic equipment. According to the report, the most important obstacle to the development of new systems is the moving process from concept to product. It is particularly difficult in the battery field, because when you improve one aspect, you compromise to other aspects.
In addition, energy storage research also has multiple problems, such as foam batteries, liquid flow batteries and various chemical materials. No one knows which technology will attract the most funds and research heat. LuxResearch reports that the investment in energy storage has exceeded 4 billion dollars. To develop the next generation of batteries, newly established companies that do not use lithium-ion batteries have received an average of only 40 million dollars in the past eight years. Tesla has invested 5 billion dollars in Gigafactory, a lithium-ion battery factory.
The threshold for developing new battery materials is very high. It will cost 500 million dollars just to establish a small production line to put research details into production. Automobile manufacturers may have to spend years testing new battery systems before deciding whether to purchase them. If your company has only 5 million dollars a year, it is difficult to invest 500 million dollars in manufacturing.
Even if the new battery manufacturer commercializes the new technology, it will also face the problem of increasing production and finding buyers. LeydenEnergy, A123 Systems, Seeo, Sakti3 all failed because of factors such as production and price that do not meet investors' expectations. Samsung, LG and Panasonic, the three major battery manufacturers in the world, are not interested in new chemistry and significantly changing battery technology. They prefer to gradually improve existing technology.
Although the first lithium-ion battery came out as early as the 1970s, the technology has become better and better. This is the last thing that start-ups who innovate battery technology are willing to mention, and it is also the biggest problem they face.
