EVs with 400 V battery systems were introduced over a decade ago and now we are seeing the industry migrate toward 800 V systems primarily to support DC fast charging. With the increased voltage and lessons learned from 400 V systems, designers are now focused on enhancing the performance of high-voltage protection circuits along with… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "solid-state"
QuantumScape shipping Alpha-2 prototype battery cells
QuantumScape is developing solid-state lithium-metal battery technology that promises significant performance improvements compared to current lithium-ion cells. Now the company has started customer shipments of Alpha-2 prototype battery cells, a significant milestone on the road to delivery of its first planned commercial product, called QSE-5. QuantumScape’s Alpha-2 prototypes integrate many significant component improvements made over… Read more »
Stellantis Ventures invests in Tiamat’s sodium-ion battery technology
Stellantis Ventures has made a strategic investment in France-based sodium-ion battery developer Tiamat. Tiamat says its sodium-ion technology is lithium- and cobalt-free and cheaper per kilowatt hour (kWh) when compared with lithium-ion batteries. The wide availability of sodium boosts sustainability and material sovereignty. Tiamat will use the new funding to start construction of a sodium-ion… Read more »
Li-Metal completes concept study for commercial-scale lithium metal plant
Li-Metal, a Canada-based developer of lithium metal technologies, has completed a concept study for a commercial North American lithium metal production facility with an annual capacity of up to 1,000 tonnes. Li-Metal expects its plant to require approximately 5,600 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year. The plant will use Li-Metal’s patented carbonate-to-metal (C2M) lithium metal… Read more »
How Umicore is ensuring sustainability in the North American EV battery chain
Q&A with Umicore’s Robert Privette Umicore traces its roots to a Belgian mining company formed in 1906. Since then, it has moved on from mining to a variety of high-tech pursuits including refining, recycling and the manufacture of specialized metal products. Today it’s one of Belgium’s largest companies, and has a strong presence in e-mobility,… Read more »
Battery cell qualification for EVs: Lucid’s cell specialist discusses the complicated process
Q&A with Lucid’s Battery Cell Technical Specialist Maithri Venkat. When it comes to battery cells for EVs, one size definitely doesn’t fit all. The properties of a particular cell act as constraining factors for every aspect of a vehicle’s design—and not only for vehicle performance parameters such as range and power, but for the development… Read more »
South 8 says its liquefied gas electrolyte offers safe performance in extreme temperatures
As EV-haters constantly remind us, the liquid electrolytes used in current EV batteries can catch fire or even explode in emergency situations such as a charging fault or a crash, or in the case of a defective cell. Solid-state cells are expected to be much safer, but they’re just beginning to appear in limited numbers… Read more »
Chinese companies begin production of sodium-ion batteries
Sodium-ion batteries are expected to offer lower energy density compared to Li-ion cells, but they do offer some advantages, and could be a good fit for smaller EVs. Chinese battery behemoth CATL unveiled its first-generation sodium-ion battery in July 2021, and since then, several Chinese automakers have announced plans to use sodium-ion batteries in production… Read more »
Umicore expands its EV battery materials production with CAM and pCAM plant in Ontario
Umicore, a Belgian metal technology company, is building a 35 GWh equivalent battery materials production plant in Loyalist, Ontario, for the North American EV battery industry. The federal and provincial governments have agreed to directly provide Umicore with €1.27 billion in co-funding. Using precursor cathode active material (pCAM) and CAM, critical components for battery performance,… Read more »
OCSiAl to build graphene nanotube facility in Europe
Luxembourg-based nanotechnology manufacturer OCSiAl has received a construction permit for a nanotube manufacturing plant near Belgrade, Serbia. The 120-ton-per-year nanotube synthesis factory will open in 2024 and ramp up production through 2025. The facility will synthesize nanotubes and make nanotube suspensions for lithium-ion battery makers in Europe, the US and Asia, improving the performance of… Read more »