Battery material producer 6K and Michigan-based energy storage startup Our Next Energy (ONE) have announced a partnership as ONE begins scaling up and commercializing its Gemini cell chemistry.

ONE recently demonstrated an experimental battery that powered a Tesla Model S for 752 miles on a single charge. This was a proof of concept for ONE’s Gemini battery technology, which it hopes to put into production after 2023.

6K represents 6,000 degrees—the operating temperature of the company’s UniMelt plasma processing system, which the company says enables it to produce battery materials to exact specifications. The company recently announced a $30-million investment in a production facility that will accommodate multiple pilot-scale UniMelt systems with a total annual capacity of 400-500 MWh worth of battery materials. 6K says the new facility will produce NMC811 and single-crystal cathode materials, solid-state electrolyte materials, and anode materials.

“ONE is focused on developing the most cost-effective and novel methods for producing its Gemini cathode material using 6K materials and processes,” said Mujeeb Ijaz, founder and CEO of ONE. “Our focus is on building battery technology from a more sustainable, localized supply chain, thereby sharply reducing battery material costs. Comparing conventional cathode material processing to 6K’s novel approach gives me confidence that we can have a low-cost cathode material for Gemini.”

“ONE’s use of our proprietary cathode material emphasizes our vision and mission of manufacturing battery materials at lower cost in the United States, helping to significantly drive down the overall costs of EVs with sustainably produced materials,” said Sam Trinch, Group President for 6K Energy.

Source: Our Next Energy