ATLIS Motor Vehicles, Inc. and Clemson University have partnered to advance development of electric-vehicle batteries that charge faster, last longer and can be scaled to fit a variety of vehicle classes.

ATLIS, a startup company based in Arizona, is developing battery cells and packs to power the Atlis XP Platform and XT pickup truck. The associated battery research is being jointly executed at the Clemson Nanomaterials Institute (CNI).

XP Platform

To further advance the technology, ATLIS and Clemson executed a three-year master research agreement led by CNI founder and director Apparao Rao, an expert in nanomaterials, and the R. A. Bowen professor of physics. Rao’s research is focused on understanding and exploiting the properties of nanomaterials for energy harvesting and energy storage.

XT pickup

At CNI, Professor Rao along with his research associates and students will assist ATLIS with further development of their battery technology. The ATLIS battery will utilize custom coatings to strike a balance between energy and power. These coatings, coupled with a special mechanical construction, will lead to optimized energy capacity and reduced charging time.

I was presented the opportunity to partner with ATLIS through one of my former students who is now an engineer at ATLIS. Through this collaborative effort, I have not only been able to utilize my proficiency in nanomaterials to assist in further developing this superior cell technology, but I have also had the opportunity to provide an atmosphere where my students and postdoctoral researchers can experience firsthand the steps taken by industry to develop a product and bring it to market. This partnership highlights that CNI is a hub where academia-industrial partnerships are fostered by bringing faculty researchers together with industry partners to create new technologies.

—Professor Rao

ATLIS is developing an all-electric XT pickup truck with the goal of outperforming gasoline and diesel-powered pickup trucks with a 500-mile range battery that recharges in less than 15 minutes. The ATLIS battery-cell technology features a minimum number of components, thus reducing assembly cost and complexity, while providing an ultra-fast charging structure.

ATLIS aims to utilize formulations developed by the joint research team to improve the overall function and structure of the battery with the intent to adapt the findings for use in future vehicle offerings.

The CNI is located at the Clemson University Advanced Materials Research Laboratory in Anderson County. The Institute specializes in studying the fundamental properties and applications of a broad range of nanomaterials and is developing cutting-edge multidisciplinary research that can widen the frontiers of nanoscience and significantly impact industrial technologies.

Currently, CNI has seven active agreements with industrial partners, and nearly 10 faculty members, 25 students and postdocs use the facility for various collaborative projects.