Rolls-Royce will develop energy storage systems (ESS) meant to enable zero-emissions flights of over 100 miles. The company plans an £80 million investment in ESS over the next decade. ESS products from Rolls-Royce will power electric and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) and commuter-market fixed-wing aircraft with up to 19… Read more »
Author: Tom Spendlove
Keysight launches battery test system using high voltage SiC technology
Keysight Technologies has announced a new test system for high-voltage battery packs (up to 1,500 volts). The Scienlab SL1700A Series uses silicon carbide (SiC) technology, which Keysight says will boost efficiency and energy recovery. The system gives users control of the climate chamber, conditioning of the device under test, and the battery management system. Analysis… Read more »
DOE awards $43 million to support battery manufacturing innovations
The DOE has announced a new $42.3-million funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002553) to support manufacturing innovations for energy technologies to drive reductions in carbon emissions. The latest FOA is focused on three topic areas: Manufacturing process innovation, including drying process improvements, advanced tooling solutions and sustainable chemistry practices; Advanced materials manufacturing, including the development of aluminum-cerium alloys… Read more »
Gaussin and Microvast to build batteries for road truck skateboards
Gaussin and Microvast are working together to integrate Microvast’s new generation of batteries with Gaussin’s electric skateboard and hydrogen applications. Gaussin’s skateboard platform is designed for hydrogen or battery-electric Class 8 tractors and trucks from 18 to 44 tons. Target customers include traditional truck manufacturers, body builders and autonomous navigation software companies. The hydrogen version… Read more »
Group14 Technologies and SK materials to build factory for lithium-silicon battery materials
Group14 Technologies has announced a joint venture with SK materials to build a factory for lithium-silicon battery materials in South Korea. SK materials will invest $52 million in the development of the materials manufacturing hub, which is expected to launch in 2022. Group14’s new JV will enable dual sourcing for its lithium-silicon technology both from… Read more »
Albemarle to open Battery Materials Innovation Center in North Carolina
Albemarle Corporation has announced the opening of its new Battery Materials Innovation Center (BMIC), located at the company’s Kings Mountain, North Carolina site. The BMIC is expected to be fully operational in July 2021, and will support Albemarle’s lithium hydroxide, lithium carbonate and advanced energy storage materials growth platforms. It has been equipped to enable… Read more »
Thinner anode strips could lead to longer lithium metal battery life
Researchers from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have increased the lifetime of a lithium metal battery to a record 600 cycles. The research was done through DOE’s Innovation Center for Battery500 Consortium. The work was published in the journal Nature Energy. The PNNL team found a way to increase the battery’s lifetime using 20-micron-wide… Read more »
Faraday Institution develops ultrasonic recycling method
Faraday Institution researchers working on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries at the Universities of Leicester and Birmingham have developed a new method to recover materials from end-of-life EV batteries. The new process uses ultrasonic waves to separate valuable material from the electrodes. The researchers say it delivers a higher purity of recovered materials compared to… Read more »
New paper examines environmental impact of brine-based lithium extraction
A new paper from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) analyzes the process of extracting lithium from brine. In “Energy, Greenhouse Gas, and Water Life Cycle Analysis of Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate from Brine and Ore Resources and Their Use in Lithium Ion Battery Cathodes and Lithium Ion Batteries,” published in the journal Resources, Conservation… Read more »
Exro says its Coil Driver tech can reduce EVSE cost and complexity
Power electronics specialist Exro Technologies has announced a new application for its patented Coil Driver technology, which it says could dramatically reduce the cost and complexity associated with deploying EV infrastructure at scale. According to Exro, EVs currently require three different types of power electronics components to power the vehicles and charge the batteries: a… Read more »
