New Enevate silicon-dominant composite anode for high energy density Li-ion batteries for mobile devices; claims roadmap to 1000 Wh/L
09 December 2014
Enevate Corporation has introduced its HD-Energy Technology for Li-ion batteries. The silicon-dominant composite anode, which offers four times the energy density of conventional graphite anodes, enables high energy density rechargeable Li-ion polymer cells. Enevate Corporation, based in Irvine, California, is focused on delivering advanced Li-ion batteries into smartphones, tablets, ultra-thin/hybrid notebook PCs, and wearable devices.
We have developed very high energy density Li-ion cells for mass production with our new HD-Energy Technology utilizing silicon-dominant anodes. This new and different approach allows us to realize a roadmap to over 1000 Wh/L volumetric energy density which is very exciting to differentiate mobile consumer applications.
—Dr. Benjamin Park, Enevate CTO and co-founder (originally as Carbon Micro Battery)
Enevate is using a unique technical approach for silicon anodes that is truly different and innovative to deliver high energy density Li-ion batteries. I’m impressed that their technology and process is practical, highly manufacturable, and can be sufficiently inexpensive for high volume consumer electronics.
—Dr. John Goodenough, Professor of Material Science at University of Texas-Austin, Enevate Technical Advisory Board
The self-standing, flexible, and conductive anodes are composed of majority silicon in a complex micromatrix composite that is 100% active and contains no inactive or “dead space” binders and is engineered for high volume manufacturing. The HD-Energy Technology delivers a high capacity monolithic or “single-particle” anode which enables cell designs today up to 700-800 Wh/L core energy density with cycle life similar to graphite cells, the company says.
Competitive approaches using silicon nanowires or nanoparticles are difficult and expensive to manufacture in high volume, Enevate claims. Others using silicon oxide (SiO) as a dilute additive in graphite anodes do not deliver enough performance improvement.
Enevate’s custom cell designs using HD-Energy Technology also have very low AC impedance or internal resistance, typically less than half that of graphite cells. Utilizing available cathodes, separators, and electrolytes in today’s Li-ion ecosystem, Enevate’s Li-ion batteries are designed to meet UN, UL, and CTIA safety certifications. Enevate’s HD-Energy Technology delivers combined attributes ideal for use in sleek mobile devices to deliver more runtime, enable new energy-hungry features, and allow for thinner product designs.
Enevate investors include Mission Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, Tsing Capital, Infinite Potential Technologies, Presidio Ventures – a Sumitomo Corporation company, and CEC Capital.
Going after the consumer market first is a good idea, it allows you to work on scaling up instead of having to go from 0 to 1GWh/yr for an automotive application.
As long as Apple keeps wanting to make iPhones slimmer and slimmer (a safe bet), higher Wh/L will be necessary to cram all that energy into a thinner and thinner space. The iPhone 6 battery has about 575Wh/L, so getting up to 700 or 800 would bring an extra 30% battery life.
Posted by: Anthony F | 09 December 2014 at 09:50 AM
I get between 8 and 9 hours with my ultra thin 12.2" Samsung tablet. This type of battery would give about 15 hours between recharge or free space for extra memory etc.
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 December 2014 at 11:11 AM
Bevs might cost less in the future and offer improved range, im glad. After that they will have to really build a nice and efficient charging infrastructure with intelligent meters and home chargers where you plug your car and the charging occur only when the electricity rate get lower when there is surplus wind or solar electricity. They can connect the meter to your home computer to show you the consumption over time and the rates. also some can build fast chargers around highwat feed by natural gas turbines generator, solar and wind and you go there if your home electricity rates are too high. The bigger the battery, the best it is if you can find cheap electricity rates somewhere and stock it. Gasbuddy can become gas-electricity-buddy.
I will never buy a bev without a 700 miles battery with fast charging capability.
Posted by: gorr | 09 December 2014 at 02:34 PM
Seeing Dr. John Goodenough commenting on this gives it some credibility.
Posted by: Nikita Sidorov | 09 December 2014 at 08:14 PM