In January 2019, the Chinese market saw 253% more nickel deployed in passenger EV batteries than the same month the year prior, according to a model-by-model build-up using Adamas Intelligence’s EV Battery Capacity and Battery Metals Tracker. The accelerated deployment of battery nickel in China, due primarily to an ongoing... Read more →

A team of researchers from Hanyang University in South Korea has demonstrated that surface modification of graphite using amorphous Al2O3 is an efficient way to improve the fast charging capability of graphite anode materials for lithium ion batteries. Schematic illustration of the proposed synthetic route for Al2O3 coated on a... Read more →

Scientists at Tokyo Tech and Okayama University have improved the performance of LiCoO2 cathodes in Li-ion batteries by decorating them with BaTiO3 nanodots. They also elucidated the mechanism behind the measured results, concluding that the BaTiO3 nanodots create a special interface through which Li ions can circulate easily, even at... Read more →

A team of scientists including researchers at the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have identified the causes of degradation in nickel-rich layered cathode material (LiNi1‐x‐yMnxCoyO2) (NMC) for lithium-ion batteries, as well as possible remedies. Their findings, published in the journal Advanced Functional... Read more →

Rechargeable lithium metal batteries with increased energy density, performance, and safety may be possible with a newly-developed, solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI), according to Penn State researchers. The SEI is key to the stabilization of lithium metal anodes for rechargeable batteries; however, the SEI is constantly reforming and consuming electrolyte with cycling.... Read more →

Munich Re is the world’s first insurer to offer a product that covers battery performance. The product allows manufacturers in the booming battery market to offer long-term performance guarantees—whose value is backed by the insurance coverage. The new coverage allows battery manufacturers to insure their customer warranties. For example, if... Read more →

Researchers at Wuhan University in China have developed a new electrochemical cell, PANI/LixMn2O4, for selective recovery of Li+ ions from brine water with high impurity cations (K+, Na+, Mg2+, etc). The cell can simultaneously extract LiCl from a simulated brine with a high average current efficiency of 95%, energy consumption... Read more →

Over the last several years, increasing the energy density of batteries has been a top priority in battery technology development, congruent with increasing demands for faster mobile devices and longer-lasting electronic vehicles. The energy density of lithium-ion batteries can be enhanced by either increasing the capacity of electrodes, or by... Read more →

Audi is testing factory vehicles powered by used lithium-ion batteries at its main plant in Ingolstadt. Like all automobile manufacturers, Audi is obliged by law to take back energy carriers after they have been used in cars. Because they still have a large proportion of their original charging capacity, an... Read more →

Despite traditionally being a seasonally-slow month for the EV market, in January 2019, 3.27 GWh of passenger EV battery capacity was deployed in China, an increase of 439% over January 2018 levels, inferring from a model-by-model build-up using Adamas Intelligence’s ‘EV Battery Capacity and Battery Metals Tracker’. China was responsible... Read more →

Piëch Automotive will unveil the Piëch Mark Zero electric sports car concept at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The Mark Zero is the first of a family of products to be brought to market by Piëch Automotive over the next three years. Three vehicle variants are in planning: a... Read more →

Volkswagen is setting up a pilot plant for Li-ion battery recycling at Salzgitter factory, south-west of Braunschweig, Germany. (Earlier post.) Batteries can be recycled here as early as 2020—initially 1,200 tons per year. This corresponds to 3,000 vehicle batteries. A further increase in capacity is envisaged for subsequent years. However,... Read more →

A global battery consortium charged with advancing lead battery technology has re-launched as it prepares a new technical roadmap designed to extend both the performance and lifetime of the core battery technology. Since it was formed as the ALABC 25 years ago, the Consortium for Battery Innovation has ushered in... Read more →

NGK Spark Plug, a manufacturer with more than 80 years of experience in spark plugs and ceramics, and lunar exploration company ispace, inc., announced that NGK Spark Plug has agreed to participate as a corporate partner of the world’s first commercial lunar exploration program “HAKUTO – R”. NGK Spark Plug... Read more →

In 2018, 4.28 million BEVs, PHEVs and HEVs were sold globally—an increase of 28.6% over the year prior—amounting to 5.2% of total global passenger vehicle sales, according to Adamas Intelligence. Not only is the EV market growing extremely rapidly, the modern EV itself is also undergoing a rapid technological evolution,... Read more →

24M announced that it has developed and delivered commercially-viable, high energy density lithium-ion cells. Using its novel SemiSolid lithium-ion battery design in its pilot facility (earlier post), 24M achieved energy densities exceeding 250 watt-hours per kilogram (Wh/kg), the current state-of-the-art industry benchmark for EV applications. These deliveries represent a significant... Read more →

In a commentary in the journal Joule, a team from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggests that graphdiyne (GDY)—a two-dimensional carbon allotrope that complements the properties of prevailing carbon materials—shows intrinsic advantages as an electrochemical interface. It draws much attention for its applications in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs),... Read more →

Researchers from Drexel University and Trinity College in Ireland have shown that two-dimensional titanium carbide or carbonitride nanosheets—MXenes—can be used as a conductive binder for silicon electrodes produced by a simple and scalable slurry-casting technique without the need of any other additives. The nanosheets form a continuous metallic network, enable... Read more →

PolyPlus Battery Company a privately-held company focused on the development of the first rechargeable Li metal battery with a ionically conductive glass separator, has entered into the first stage of a joint development agreement with SK Innovation Co. Ltd., Korea’s first and largest energy and chemical company. SK selected PolyPlus... Read more →

Researchers in France have shown the versatility of siloxene, a 2D silicon structure (Si6O3H6), as an anode material for Li-, Na- and K-ion batteries. In a paper in the Journal of Power Sources, the researchers report that lamellar siloxene obtained from the topotactic deintercalation of Ca from CaSi2 delivered reversible... Read more →

The International Tin Association (ITA) released a new report detailing its latest research on potential new market opportunities for tin in lithium-ion batteries. ITA concluded that if tin does gain market share, lithium-ion batteries could grow to represent a significant new tin use in the 2025-2030 timescale—up to 60,000 tonnes... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched its first lithium-ion battery recycling center, called the ReCell Center. Recycled materials from lithium-ion batteries can be reused in new batteries, reducing production costs by 10 to 30 percent, which could help lower the overall cost of electric vehicle (EV) batteries to... Read more →

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, has selected Cummins to be the electrification solution provider for the next-generation electric terminal tractor offering for the European market. The Cummins driveline solution eliminates need for a transmission on a terminal tractor, simplifying the overall system and reducing maintenance needs. Cummins will provide powertrain technology,... Read more →

Rice University scientists have developed a detection system capable of alerting for Li dendrite formation in a two‐electrode battery with a Li metal anode with no additional electrodes required. A paper on the work is published in the journal Advanced Materials. The Rice lab of chemist James Tour made test... Read more →

OXIS Energy Ltd UK has signed a contract with CODEMGE PARTICIPACOES SA, a public company incorporated in the city of Belo Horizonte in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, to establish the world’s first digital manufacturing plant for the mass production of OXIS’ lithium-sulfur cells. OXIS Energy Brazil Holdings will... Read more →

Wirtz Manufacturing, a global provider of equipment design and technology for the lead-acid battery market, has made a strategic investment in ZAF Energy Systems, a manufacturer of nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries. The investment will expand ZAF’s manufacturing capacity from hundreds of batteries per month to thousands of batteries per month in... Read more →

A team at Argonne National Laboratory has used spatially resolved energy dispersive X-ray diffraction to obtain a “movie” of lithiation and delithiation in different sections of a Li-ion battery cell and to quantify lithium gradients that develop in a porous graphite electrode during cycling at a 1C rate (full discharge... Read more →

In 2018, global deployment of nickel, graphite, copper, LCE, aluminum and cobalt by passenger vehicle cell suppliers increased by 75% to 99% versus the year prior, according to data from Adamas Intelligence’s “EV Battery Capacity and Battery Metals Tracker”. These growth rates are particularly remarkable when considering that global BEV... Read more →

Canada-based American Manganese Inc. (AMY) announced that its processing partner, Kemetco Research, has commenced the processing of a select sample of Li-ion cathode scrap material through Stages 1 and 2 of a pilot recycling plant. (Earlier post.) Commencement of the pilot plant followed a HAZOP study and preliminary testing of... Read more →

A new study led by researchers from Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has provided insight into a phenomenon that both helps and hurts Li-ion battery performance. Today’s commercial battery materials are only able to release about half of the... Read more →

AKASOL AG, a leading German producer of high-performance lithium-ion battery systems, is expanding its long-term framework agreement to supply a Swedish commercial vehicle manufacturer with high-performance battery systems for electric buses and trucks. AKASOL says the order volume is in the mid to high three-digit million-euro range. From 2020, the... Read more →

Transmission system operator TenneT and Daimler AG, through its wholly owned subsidiary Mercedes-Benz Energy GmbH, have researched and tested the feasibility of innovative system services in the transmission grid as part of a joint development partnership. The project partners have shown in the Kamenz test lab that automobile battery storage... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) signed a cooperation agreement with Honda Motor in Tokyo to cooperate formally to develop electric vehicles for the future market. Under the agreement, CATL will become Honda’s partner in the field of lithium-ion EV batteries. CATL will guarantee the supply to Honda of about... Read more →

Electrify America plans to install Tesla Powerpack battery systems at more than 100 of its electric vehicle charging stations nationwide over the course of 2019. The battery systems will be deployed to mitigate higher power demand charges and manage operating costs by avoiding or reducing demand and energy charges during... Read more →

Maxwell Technologies has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Tesla in a deal work about $218 million. Tesla will commence an all stock exchange offer for all the issued and outstanding shares of Maxwell, after which it will be merged with a Tesla subsidiary and become a... Read more →

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has become majority stakeholder of XALT Energy, a Midland, Mich.-based global developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion technology solutions targeted for heavy-duty mobility applications. In March 2018, Freudenberg announced it had acquired a 31% ownership stake in XALT Energy through a multi-million dollar investment in its operations. (Earlier... Read more →

FreeWire Technologies, a pioneer in flexible mobile power and EV charging technology (earlier post), will demonstrate its Mobi Gen and Mobi EV Charger units at DistribuTECH in partnership with Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), the nation’s sixth-largest utility. SMUD is testing the units for deployment within Sacramento. Mobi EV Chargers... Read more →

A team led by researchers at Oregon State University have demonstrated that diffusion may not be necessary to transport ionic charges inside a hydrated solid-state structure of a battery electrode. The discovery potentially could shift the whole paradigm of high-power electrochemical energy storage with new design principles for electrodes, said... Read more →

Kiepe Electric has ordered 80 standardized lithium-ion battery systems from Voltabox AG for trolleybuses. The delivery of the systems will begin in the middle of this year. Each battery system is made up of three structurally identical standard containers, each of which contains 12 battery modules with lithium titanate (LTO)... Read more →

An international team of researchers led by a group from the University of Manchester in the UK has used a biological technique which won the 2017 Nobel Chemistry Prize to reveal 3D atomic-scale chemistry in metal nanoparticles used as catalysts. It is the first time this technique has been for... Read more →

As part of a strategy to continue providing low-emissions solutions for harsh offshore operating environments, Siemens has opened a fully robotized and digitalized plant in Norway that will develop and manufacture energy storage technologies for both marine and offshore oil and gas applications. Eventually, the plant will assemble 55 battery... Read more →

Epsilor’s lithium-ion 6T NATO-standard battery is currently being evaluated and field tested by industrial clients and armed forces in five NATO countries. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recently completed a year-long testing process during which the Epsilor 6T was evaluated in different climate and field conditions (desert, mountains, rocky areas,... Read more →

by Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com. It’s been a decade of lows for commodities after posting 7 declines in 11 years, but we’ve seriously underestimated lithium. It’s back with a vengeance in 2019. The commodities market endured yet another annus horribilis, with just four commodities—natural gas, uranium, cocoa and wheat—recording any... Read more →

A KAIST research team has developed ultra-stable, high-rate lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) by using hierarchically porous titanium nitride (h-TiN) as a sulfur host. In a paper in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers report that h-TiN/S shows a reversible capacity of 557 mAh g−1 even after 1000 cycles at 5 C... Read more →

Natron Energy, a developer of new battery cell technology based on Prussian Blue analogue electrodes and a sodium-ion electrolyte, has closed a strategic investment by Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) to support the development of stationary energy storage systems for demand charge management at electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. Natron Energy... Read more →

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched the Battery Cell Research Production Center, a new R&D and large-scale industrial manufacturing plant for lithium-ion cells; the center will receive an investment of €500 million. The location of the new facility is to be selected by mid-2019, after... Read more →

Because of their high theoretical energy density, lithium oxygen batteries (LOB) are the focus of much research for future generations of energy storage, particularly for pervasive electric vehicles. However, problems such as low round-trip efficiency, poor reversibility and inferior electrolyte stability have hindered practical applications. A typical non-aqueous Li-oxygen battery... Read more →

Safran acquired an equity interest in Li-Sulfur battery manufacturer OXIS Energy (earlier post) through its Safran Corporate Ventures subsidiary, which invests in disruptive technology businesses. OXIS Energy, a leader in lithium-sulfur cell technology for high energy density battery systems, has already been granted 173 patents with 96 pending. Benefiting from... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group is investing US$10 million in the US-based startup Forge Nano Inc. with a view to reinforcing its specialist knowledge in the field of battery research. Forge Nano, formerly PneumatiCoat Technologies, is investigating processes for scaling atomic layer deposition (ALD) to create new core-shell materials, especially for battery... Read more →

California-based Motiv Power Systems, a provider of medium-duty all-electric fleet chassis for trucks and buses (earlier post), announced a supply agreement with BMW to integrate the latest (third) evolution of BMW’s passenger car lithium-ion battery packs into Motiv’s EPIC (Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis). When Motiv specs a battery for a... Read more →