Battery “gigafactories” are under construction all over the world—and none too soon. As EV sales grow, it is critical to establish local battery production and shorten supply chains. However, state-of-the-art cell packaging and chemistries are evolving quickly these days. How will cell manufacturers future-proof their cell production facilities? How flexible will these new plants be… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "LFP"
Are nickel-based batteries on the way out?
Is a new standards war—or rather, a chemistries war—developing? There are several important differences between the NMC and LFP battery chemistries, but the most salient points seem to be that batteries based on NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) offer higher energy density, but those based on LFP (lithium iron phosphate) tend to be cheaper. Chinese automakers… Read more »
Sion Power’s experimental lithium metal cells deliver 2,500 cycles
Sion Power says one of its multilayer lithium metal pouch cells has performed for over 2,500 cycles, retaining 70% of its initial capacity. The cell was charged for 180 minutes at the C/3 rate and completely discharged in 45 minutes at the 4C/3 rate. The experimental cell is part of Sion Power’s Licerion product line…. Read more »
Motiv Power Systems next-gen battery demonstrates 150-mile range in a medium-duty electric truck
Commercial EV producer Motiv Power Systems has partnered with Michigan-based energy storage specialist Our Next Energy (ONE). Motiv’s 6th-generation step vans, trucks, and buses, which use ONE’s battery technology, are currently in testing, and will launch in early 2023. ONE’s Aries LFP battery system delivers more than 150 miles of range with a full vehicle… Read more »
Rivian working on 800-volt architecture, bidirectional charging, in-house drive units and battery cells
EV startup Rivian’s Q4 2021 Shareholder Letter is reminiscent of the ones we used to see from a certain other Californian EV startup in its idealistic younger days—full of forward-looking technical innovations. Rivian appears to embracing several current trends on the EV scene—going bidirectional and moving towards 800 volts, LFP cells and more in-house production… Read more »
Soaring raw material prices could reverse the decline in EV battery costs
We EVangelists have gotten used to smugly pointing to the steadily declining costs of batteries (and renewable energy), but thanks to the recent surge in raw material prices, that positive trend could slow, or even go into reverse, according to a recent Reuters report. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused prices of nickel, lithium and… Read more »
Our Next Energy tests 750-mile battery pack in a Tesla Model S
A two-year-old Michigan startup, Our Next Energy (ONE), has built a custom battery pack that recently propelled a modified Tesla Model S for 752 miles. John Voelcker, writing in Car and Driver, reports that ONE retrofitted the car with a pack that stores twice the energy of Tesla’s original, and fits in exactly the same… Read more »
Battery startup Mitra Chem raises $20 million in Series A funding round
Mitra Future Technologies, also known as Mitra Chem, has raised $20 million in a Series A funding round led by Social Capital Holdings. The startup aims to boost the North American battery supply chain by producing an iron-based cathode. Iron-based battery chemistries have long dominated the market in China, while US and European automakers have… Read more »
EV Analysis Solutions for Battery-Inverter-Motor Efficiency, Battery Structural Durability and Battery Reliability
Battery-Inverter-Motor EfficiencyThe theoretical and real-world range of an electric vehicle may differ significantly. To maximize the range and overall efficiency of the vehicle, it is necessary to understand and characterize how the vehicle is used and determine through measurement and analysis where efficiency losses occur. But quantifying AC power is particularly difficult for EV frequency-modulated,… Read more »
Nexperia’s new 40 V MOSFETs for automotive and industrial applications
Nexperia has announced new 0.55 mΩ RDS(on) 40 V power MOSFETs in the LFPAK88 package for automotive (BUK7S0R5-40H) and industrial (PSMNR55-40SSH) applications. The company says the devices are the lowest RDS(on) 40 V parts it has ever produced. They deliver higher power densities than traditional D2PAK devices and offer improved performance in both avalanche and… Read more »