TIAX spins out Li-ion Advanced Battery Materials & Design Division to become separate company
24 April 2014
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| Capacity and rate performance of CAM-7 cathode material. Click to enlarge. |
Lab-based technology development company TIAX will spin out its Advanced Battery Materials & Design Division on 1 May to become a separate company—CAMX Power LLC—to be co-located with TIAX and operate as its subsidiary.
CAMX Power will focus on licensing, customer support, and further enhancing its nickel-based high-energy and high-power cathode material CAM-7 for lithium-ion batteries. It will continue the development of other cell components and expand its work on battery safety technologies. CAMX Power will also engage in targeted services, co-development and sales and marketing partnerships.
CAM-7, with energy capacity exceeding 200 mAh/g; discharge capacity of 130 mAh/g at 100 C rate; a good low-temperature energy density and high safety is suitable for hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and electric vehicles (EV) batteries. CAM-7 is stabilized through an innovative doping strategy and is engineered to resolve traditional thermal stability concerns regarding high-nickel cathode materials.
CAM-7 has been in development for over a decade with more than 250 person years with commensurate investment. It is market-ready, having already entered the sampling and qualification process, TIAX says.
CAM-7 has been scaled up to two metric tons per year in an in-house facility and then up to 50 metric tons per year in a modular plant located in Rowley, MA, further expandable to 300 metric tons.
CAMX Power is developing other advanced battery technologies including high performance electrolytes, anode materials, and battery safety technologies such as non-dissipative, active cell balancing and internal short monitoring technologies.
CAMX’ development facilities include powder production ranging in scale from kilograms to tons; materials properties characterization; electrochemical characterization in coin cells and in full-sized multi-Ah cells fabricated in its state-of-the-art cell prototyping facility; and safety technology development.
Electrification of light duty vehicles has been a passion and a cause for me. Since the founding of TIAX in 2002, I have dedicated my time, energies and financial resources to the realization of this objective, the key to which is a low-cost lithium-ion battery that has a range of 200 miles, and the key to which is the cathode material. If we are to effectively deal with CO2 emissions to protect our environment, we need to move CO2 from the tailpipes of vehicles to the smokestacks of power plants where it is possible to capture and contain CO2 emissions. That can only be done with the electrification of the drivetrain.
—Dr. Kenan Sahin, TIAX President and Founder
Dr. Sahin will serve as the interim President of CAMX.
The last paragraph is so true!
Posted by: HarveyD | 24 April 2014 at 01:04 PM
What is missing here ? I understand they would have overcome the Thermal stability issues... Means there were some... hence may need check to what extend they could do that.
Plus No mention of how many cycles this battery can last...
This put aside it sounds too good to be true. I understand it could output # 170 mAh at 3.3V w/ 10C (not sure 100C really needed for PHEVs). So it would store a capacity of 0.561 KWH/KG (= (170*3.3)*1000/1000/1000). Means a nirvana 160KWH = 500M battery would only weight 285 KG.... That is far better than anything used today, and could change the world, if such a battery also had a lower cost and could deliver > 5K Cycles to 80% capacity. It would become a hit,... at least by the time next generation Lithium/Air or else may come with even better specs and hopefully a decent price.
But one more time there are datas missing here, and missing datas in that field is SUSPECT... So let's wait for completion.
Posted by: Patrick Free | 25 April 2014 at 06:32 AM
Patrick, When they say 130 mAh/g at 100C they are just saying that rate capability is good over all and that at that rate heating isn't a problem. You are correct, the 100C rate is not necessary for vehicles, but at 100C rate if you had any resistance issues with the cathode material that would surface at that point.
Your also correct, 5000 cycles are needed. So, we will see in the future if they report good cycle life.
The spin off is likely an attempt to make themselves (the battery company) more enticing as an aquisition since anyone interested in aquiring their battery technology really would not be interested in some of their other technology. So, big battery companies, you can now aquire this technology.
Posted by: Brotherkenny4 | 29 April 2014 at 09:45 AM