Valence Technology introduces new high-power Li-ion battery modules

Valence Technology recently announced the availability of the U-Charge P40-24, the first in a new generation of high-power battery modules utilizing the company’s lithium iron magnesium phosphate chemistry. The 1.024 kWh (25.6 V, 40 Ah) module is capable of 10-second discharge pulses of up to 700A (17C) and continuous discharge currents of 240A (6C). Along with providing high power discharge capabilities, the P40 can also be recharged from a 0% state of charge (SOC) to 90% SOC in less than an hour.

The new module is a complementary product offering to the existing U-Charge product line, which has been available since 2005. The P40-24 enables Valence to offer a “right-sized” battery pack for applications that require high discharge currents for short durations of time, as often seen in stationary requirements such as uninterruptible power systems (UPS) for data centers. The P40-24 offers numerous advantages over lead-acid battery powered UPS systems, such as a smaller footprint, longer life and higher operating temperature capabilities, the company says.

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New “inverse vulcanization” process produces polymeric sulfur that can function as high performance electrodes for Li-S batteries

Battery cycling data for poly(S-r-DIB) (10 wt% DIB, C/10 rate). Chung et al. Click to enlarge.

A University of Arizona-led international research team has developed a simple process for making lightweight plastics from elemental sulfur; the team has successfully used a new polymeric sulfur produced via the process as an electrode material for lithium-sulfur batteries.

The new polymeric sulfur has electrochemical properties superior to those of the elemental sulfur now used in Li-S batteries, the researchers report in a paper published in Nature Chemistry. The team’s batteries exhibited high specific capacity (823 mAh/g at 100 cycles) and enhanced capacity retention.

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EnerG2 nano-structured hard carbon boosts Li-ion anode capacity by >50% compared to standard graphite

A chart from EnerG2’s 2012 DOE Merit Review presentation shows different pore profiles for different energy storage applications. Click to enlarge.

EnerG2, a manufacturer of advanced carbons for next-generation energy storage (earlier post), has begun production of nano-structured hard carbon for Li-ion battery anodes that it says can boost anode capacity by more than 50% over standard graphite.

Engineering surface area, pore size distribution, and total pore volume can deliver carbon material with a broad range of surface properties. These properties can be tailored and modified for adaptation to the specific requirements of a given energy storage application.

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Researchers at Rice University develop vanadium oxide-graphene materials for high power-density Li-ion batteries with ultrafast charging and discharging

Rate capacities of VO2-graphene architectures with different VO2 contents, measured for 30 cycles at each selected rate from 1C to 190C. Credit: ACS, Yang et al. Click to enlarge.

A team from Rice University has developed vanadium oxide (VO₂)-graphene ribbon materials that, when used as cathode materials in Li-ion batteries, enable ultrafast, “supercapacitor-like” charge and discharge rates with long cycle life while maintaining highly reversible capacity. In a paper published in the ACS journal Nano Letters, the researchers suggested that this “breakthrough in cathode materials with ultrafast charging and discharging capability...can significantly prompt the rapid development and applications of high-power lithium ion batteries.”

With the single crystalline VO₂-graphene ribbons as cathodes, a full charge or discharge is capable in 20 seconds. The electrodes retain more than 90% of the initial capacity after cycling more than 1,000 times at an ultrahigh rate of 190C, providing the best reported rate performance for cathodes in lithium ion batteries to date.

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Boeing details improvements to Li-ion battery system for 787; more than 200,000 engineering hours applied so far

On 12 March, Boeing received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration of its plan to test and certify improvements to the 787’s Li-ion battery system. (Earlier post.) On 14 March, Mike Sinnett, Vice President and Chief Project Engineer, 787 program provided a technical briefing to media on the set of improvements to the lithium-ion batteries on 787 commercial jetliners.

The company’s intent is to provide three layers of protection: preventing initiation of an event at the cell level; preventing propagation of an event to the other cells in the pack; and preventing impact to the airplane. To do so, Boeing is making changes to the battery, to the battery charger, and is building a new enclosure for the battery.

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DOE Inspector General review finds automotive Li-ion battery maker LG Chem Michigan misused Recovery Act funds; DOE management, low market demand contributory

A review by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has found that Li-ion battery maker LG Chem Michigan misused funds awarded to it under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act).

The OIG review found that LG Chem Michigan inappropriately claimed and was reimbursed for labor charges incurred by a variety employees for activities that did not benefit the project. As a result, up to about $842,000 in reimbursements for labor charges were questioned. The review also found that work performed under the grant to LG Chem Michigan had not been managed effectively. Despite the expenditures of $142 million in Recovery Act funds, LG Chem Michigan had not yet achieved the objectives outlined in its DOE-approved project plan. Among the objectives was the production of enough battery cells annually to equip 60,000 electric vehicles by the end of 2013, with assembly beginning in 2012.

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BMW and Toyota expand collaboration with work on fuel cell system, sports vehicle, light-weight technology and Li-air battery

BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) signed binding agreements aimed at long-term collaboration between the two companies for the joint development of a hydrogen fuel cell system; joint development of architecture and components for a sports vehicle; and joint research and development of lightweight technologies. These agreements follow a memorandum of understanding signed in June 2012. (Earlier post.)

The companies also today signed a binding agreement to commence collaborative research on lithium-air batteries. This agreement marks the second phase of collaborative research into next-generation lithium-ion battery cells that commenced in March 2012. (Earlier post.) The main points of the new agreements are:

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ORNL team develops high-performance solid electrolyte for Li-ion batteries; enabler for high energy density

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a high-performance, nanostructured solid electrolyte for more energy-dense lithium ion batteries.

Lithium-ion-conducting solid electrolytes could enable high-energy battery chemistries, circumventing safety issues of conventional lithium batteries, which use liquid electrolytes. However, achieving the required combination of high ionic conductivity and a broad electrochemical window in solid electrolytes is a grand challenge for the synthesis of battery materials, the authors note in a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. In the paper, they report an enhancement of the room-temperature lithium-ion conductivity by 3 orders of magnitude through the creation of nanoporous Li₃PS₄ (lithium thiophosphate).

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Goodenough perspective on Li-ion batteries; in transportation, PHEVs for the near-term, longer term requires new electrochemical strategies

Dr. John Goodenough at the University of Texas at Austin and colleague Kyu-Sung Park have written a perspective paper on Li-ion batteries (LIBs), published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Goodenough invented lithium cobalt oxide cathode materials while at Oxford University; his technology was used in the first commercial Li-ion battery, launched by Sony in 1991. More recently, at the University of Texas, Austin, Dr. Goodenough patented a new class of iron phosphate materials. (Earlier post.)

The paper covers the basics of the electrochemistry of LIBs and the development of new materials and electrolytes in the search for higher capacities; it also addresses the challenge of energy storage in transportation applications with the target of displacing the internal combustion engine.

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FAA grounds US Boeing 787 Dreamliners after second incident with Li-ion battery; GS Yuasa Lithium Power the manufacturer

As a result of an in-flight battery incident on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner yesterday in Japan, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) to address a potential battery fire risk in the 787 and to require operators to temporarily cease operations of the aircraft.

Before further flight, operators of US-registered, Boeing 787 aircraft must demonstrate to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that the batteries are safe. The FAA said it will work with the manufacturer and carriers to develop a corrective action plan to allow the US 787 fleet to resume operations as quickly and safely as possible.

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St. Andrews team elucidates behavior of carbon cathodes in Li-air batteries; the importance of the synergy between electrode and electrolyte

Carbon is seen as an attractive potential cathode material for aprotic (non-aqueous) Lithium-air batteries, which are themselves of great interest for applications such as in electric vehicles because of the cells’ high theoretical specific energy.

However, the stability of carbon and the effect of carbon on electrolyte decomposition in such cells are not deeply understood at this point. A team at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland) led by Prof. Peter Bruce has further investigated the behavior of carbon as a possible porous cathode for aprotic Li-air cells; a paper on their work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

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Anderman: Li-ion capacity far outstripping demand as automakers focus more on hybrids, less on full EVs

Global automotive Li-Ion battery production capacity is outstripping demand five-to-one as automakers refocus on hybrids and away from full electric vehicles, according to Dr. Menahem Anderman’s recently released xEV Industry Insider Report. Anderman is founder and chairman of the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC); the 13^th annual conference is scheduled for February 2013 in Pasadena, California.

The report notes that despite heavy subsidies by governments and automakers, 2012 EV sales are coming short of meeting many automakers’ sales and production plans. Conversely, those of HEVs are in line with plans. As a result, production plans for EVs and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) for the next 4-5 years are being slashed. Anderman projects a global EV/PHEV 2016 market at around 0.6% of anticipated 2016 new vehicle sales, leaving the over-invested battery industry in a trying environment.

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Researchers find lithium accumulating in copper current collectors in Li-on batteries; potential role in degrading performance

(a) Disassembled commercial Li-ion battery showing the cathode, anode and separator; high-resolution optical cross-section image of the (b) anode (graphite–Cu–graphite) and (c) cathode (LiFePO4–Al–LiFePO4), showing the electrode structure; and (d) measured lithium concentration profile from the two surfaces of the copper current collector. Nagpure et al. Click to enlarge.

Researchers led by Ohio State University engineers have discovered an unexpected factor that could degrade the performance of the Li-ion batteries commonly used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

The team, which recently reported its findings in a paper in the journal Scripta Materialia, was examining used car batteries and discovered that over time, lithium accumulates in the copper current collector (CCC)—a sheet of copper which facilitates electron transfer between the electrodes and the car’s electrical system. The lithium impurity in the CCC will lead to degradation in the cell’s thermal and electrical behavior and thus cannot be ignored for overall efforts in understanding the aging mechanisms predicting the life and performance of the batteries, the team said.

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Ford’s Key Life Battery test for Li-ion batteries simulates 10 years, 150K miles in 10 months, under different conditions

Leveraging some 20 years of experience and data reaching back to its early work with hybrids and the Ranger EV, Ford has developed a battery model and life validation protocol it now uses to predict how lithium-ion batteries are likely to perform under 10 years and 150,000 miles of use (40-season equivalent key life tests). The Key Life Test (KLT) takes about 10 months to complete.

Ford had earlier developed a NiMH battery model for use in KLTs, as detailed in a 2010 paper by a Ford team (Yang et al.) published in the International Journal of Energy Research. A detailed core model incorporating critical degradation mechanisms of battery components under various usage profiles is key to the testing. The Li-ion KLT test allows engineers to simulate many factors affecting the Li-ion batteries, including location of a battery within a vehicle; the temperatures they might have to endure; and various kinds of acceleration and stopping that different drivers would apply.

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Berkeley Lab team develops high-performance lithium sulfide-carbon composite cathode materials for high-energy batteries targeting EVs

Estimated cell specific energy plot (including all components except the cell housing) as a function of the specific capacity based on S and the S content of the electrode. Data reported in prior studies are marked by blue squares for comparison purposes; the data of the Berkeley Lab work are indicated by the red star. Credit: ACS, Cai et al. Click to enlarge.

Researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have developed nanostructured lithium sulfide/carbon (Li₂S–C) composite cathodes that show promise for use in high-energy batteries. The paper on their work, published in the ACS journal Nano Letters, follows shortly after an earlier report from a Stanford team led by Yi Cui on another approach to using lithium-sulfide materials to build rechargeable batteries with specific energies of about 4 times that of current technology and approaching those of lithium-sulfur (LiS) systems, while avoiding some of the issues with those systems. (Earlier post.)

The Berkeley Lab team reported that, with a very high specific capacity of 1144 mA·h·g^–1 (98% of the theoretical value) obtained at a high Li₂S content (67.5 wt %), the estimated specific energy of a cell using the nanostructured composite was 610 W·h·kg^–1—the highest demonstrated so far for lithium-sulfide cells. The cells also maintained good rate capability and improved cycle life.

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Battery systems maker Axeon Group acquired by Johnson Matthey

Axeon Group, Europe’s largest independent Lithium-ion battery systems supplier, recently was acquired by international specialty chemicals company Johnson Matthey. Axeon supplies battery systems for the automotive industry, as well as for high performance non-automotive applications such as cordless power tools and e-bikes.

Axeon develops and manufactures battery modules and systems utilizing a wide range of mostly lithium-ion based battery technologies sourced from third party suppliers. The company uses a range of cell chemistries, including Lithium Iron Phosphate and Lithium NCM, both suitable for electric vehicles.

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SmartBatt consortium shows prototype optimized future battery pack technology for electric vehicles

Overview of the work packages in SmartBatt. Click to enlarge.

The European SmartBatt (Smart and Safe Integration of Batteries in Electric Vehicles) consortium has produced a prototype optimized battery pack targeted at small electric vehicles; the pack is currently on display at the European Electric Vehicle Congress (EEVC) in Brussels.

The objective of the two-year, €3-million (US$3.8 million) SmartBatt project, which ends in December, is to develop and proof an innovative, multifunctional, light and safe concept of an energy storage system which is integrated in the structure of an EV. The main challenges of this smart integration are the combination of lightweight design with a high safety level against all kinds of hazards, the optimization of functions and the intelligent design of interfaces to various on-board systems.

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Chicago awards up to $13.4M contract to Motiv Power Systems for 20 Class 8 electric refuse trucks

The City of Chicago has awarded San Francisco Bay Area startup Motiv Power Systems an up to $13.4-million contract for 20 Class 8 electric refuse trucks. The 52,000-lb trucks, powered by a 200 kWh battery pack, will have a range of up to 60 miles.

The Motiv electric Powertrain Control System (ePCS) uses off-the-shelf batteries and motors, which can be mixed and matched to fit the size of the electric truck application. Motiv says that its ePCS can handle electric trucks from medium-duty to Class 8 heavy-duty, weighing 15,000 lbs-52,000 lbs. Motiv suggests the ePCS design approach cuts operating costs by 50% over an eight-year period. With a medium-duty pilot shuttle, Motiv reduced operating cost from 80 cents per mile ($0.80/mi) to 10 cents per mile ($0.10/mi). (Earlier post.)

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Researchers in China propose new strategy for Li-S batteries: smaller sulfur molecules

Electrochemical properties of sulfur-carbon composite. (a) GDC voltage profiles of S/(CNT@MPC) at 0.1 C. (b) Cycling performance of S/(CNT@MPC) and S/CB at 0.1 C (blue circles show the Coulombic efficiency of S/(CNT@MPC)). (c) GDC voltage profiles of S/(CNT@MPC) at different discharge/charge rates. (d) Rate capabilities of S/(CNT@MPC) and S/CB. Credit: ACS, Xin et al. Click to enlarge.

Researchers in China are proposing a new strategy for addressing some of the issues limiting the commercialization of high energy density lithium-sulfur batteries (earlier post): using small sulfur allotropes (different forms of the same element)—i.e., S₂₋₄—confined in a microporous carbon (MPC) matrix with pore size of ∼0.5 nm.

In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, they reported that a sulfur−carbon composite containing S₂₋₄ molecules (S/(CNT@MPC)) shows “admirable” electrochemical properties in terms of specific capacity, cycling stability, and high rate capability and suggests a practical Li−S battery with high energy density for applications in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and large-scale energy storage systems.

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CMU study finds small battery PHEVs and gasoline hybrids the least-cost policy solution to reducing gasoline consumption

Comparison of current federal subsidy to base case assumptions showing lifetime fuel savings (HomeEve charging scenario). An EPA estimate based on the Chevy Volt’s reported efficiency is also included for comparison. The federal subsidy significantly favors larger battery packs to a stronger degree than their potential for additional gasoline savings. Peterson and Michalek 2012. Click to enlarge.

In an new study analyzing the cost-effectiveness of policies subsidizing electric-drive vehicle battery capacity and charging infrastructure installation to reduce gasoline consumption in the US, Scott Peterson and Jeremy Michalek of Carnegie Mellon University found that, under a wide range of scenarios, the least-cost solution is for more drivers to switch to low-capacity plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) or gasoline-powered hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs).

Comparing the subsidy necessary to achieve lifetime cost parity with the least-cost option for each vehicle class in the base case, they found that the maximum cost per gallon saved for increased all electric range (AER) is 5%–40% less than the minimum cost per gallon saved when installing charging infrastructure, depending on vehicle class. Looking forward as battery prices decrease and the AER resulting in maximum life-time cost savings increases, the relative value of plugging in multiple times throughout the day will also decline, they suggest. Their paper is available online in the journal Energy Policy.

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Researchers find tin nanoparticles promising electrode material for sodium-ion batteries

Tin (Sn) shows promise as a robust electrode material for rechargeable sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries, according to a new study by a team from the University of Pittsburgh and Sandia National Laboratory. A paper on their study of the microstructural changes and phase transformations of tin nanoparticles during electrochemical sodiation is published in the ACS journal Nano Letters.

Rechargeable Na-ion batteries work on the same basic principle as Li-ion batteries—i.e., reversible and rapid ion insertion and extraction, but using sodium ions rather than lithium. The researchers built a nanosized Na-ion battery using tin nanoparticles as a model system to study the fundamental science of the Na insertion and extraction processes.

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