From the beginning, Tesla’s use of readily available cylindrical battery cells gave it an advantage over other EV-makers, which used proprietary prismatic or pouch cells. In 2015, JB Straubel explained why Tesla was sticking with cylindrical cells, even though others found it a controversial decision. Over the years, many writers have noted Tesla’s battery tech… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "cobalt"
Enevate says its new silicon-dominant battery tech enables 5-minute charge
Enevate, a battery technology company based in Irvine, California, has launched its fourth-generation XFC-Energy battery technology, which offers 800 Wh/L cell energy density and achieves five-minute charging to 75 percent capacity, according to the company. The XFC-Energy technology is designed for large-format pouch, prismatic, and cylindrical EV cells. It uses pure silicon anode technology with… Read more »
BMW revamps battery materials supply chain, signs supply contract for raw lithium
BMW Group has signed a €540-million contract with China’s Ganfeng Lithium for the supply of raw lithium from mines in Australia. The carmaker has restructured its supply chains for its upcoming fifth generation of battery cells. From 2020 on, it will directly source both lithium and cobalt. The raw materials will then pass on to… Read more »
Northvolt’s battery recycling program aims to source 50% recycled material by 2030
Swedish battery maker Northvolt is launching a new program, Revolt, that is devoted to recycling lithium-ion batteries. It plans to bring a pilot recycling plant online in Västerås, Sweden, in 2020, next to its existing manufacturing plant. The plant will handle NMC and NCA Li-ion chemistries. It will serve as a platform for developing and… Read more »
IBM unveils heavy metal-free battery that performs better than Li-ion
IBM Research has unveiled new battery materials extracted from seawater that it says could help eliminate the need for dangerous heavy metals in battery production. Use of the three new proprietary materials create a battery chemistry that does not use heavy metals or other substances that suffer from concerns about sourcing. Beyond the environmental and… Read more »
Does Tesla’s latest patent have to do with its promised million-mile battery?
Last April, Elon Musk announced that a “1 million-mile battery pack” was in the pipeline. As a recent article posted on Forbes points out, today’s typical Li-ion battery packs are more than adequate for individual EV owners, but applications such as taxi services and long-distance trucking will require batteries optimized for longevity (according to writer… Read more »
UK must develop battery recycling infrastructure, study finds
Governments and industry in the United Kingdom must develop a recycling infrastructure for EV batteries, according to a new study led by the University of Birmingham. The researchers calculated that one million EVs sold in 2017 alone will result in 250,000 metric tons of unprocessed waste once these vehicles reach the end of their lives…. Read more »
New DOE program to bring promising battery tech to commercialization
The US DOE has created a new program to help bring promising battery technologies that have been demonstrated at lab scale up to the level of maturity that can lead towards commercialization. The Lab Investment Incubator Activity is designed to attract “funds-in” investment from the private sector to overcome the technology and engineering challenges that… Read more »
Alexander Dennis launches double-deck hybrid bus with extended electric range
British bus and coach manufacturer Alexander Dennis has launched the Enviro400ER Electric Range, a double-deck hybrid bus that can run up to three miles in electric mode. Built in partnership with BAE Systems, the Enviro400ER’s lithium nickel manganese cobalt battery has a capacity of 32 kWh. Arthur Whiteside, Managing Director of UK Sales at Alexander… Read more »
Nano One secures patent on high-energy NMC cathode powders
Nano One Materials has secured a US patent for its NMC cathode powders, which it says offer a proprietary means of making Li-ion batteries more durable, safer and cheaper. NMC cathodes are typically comprised of lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt. Global battery makers are keen to limit the use of cobalt, which has a dodgy… Read more »