Singapore Battery Consortium: 2022 Q4 Lux Newsletter

Evonik develops electrochemical lithium battery recycling technology

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:17:04 +0000

Evonik develops electrochemical lithium battery recycling technology adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:17

Importance Level

Interest Area

Evonik plans to commercialize a lithium recycling process using electrochemical cells with lithium-selective membranes from preprocessed battery waste, also known as black mass. This electrochemical process can potentially be used in upstream lithium extraction and refining from natural deposits of lithium brines, similar to a strategy from competitor Mangrove Lithium. However, Evonik first plans to scale up its pilot for the recycling market by working with established battery and metals recyclers and targeting on-site recycling at battery manufacturers and automakers. Electrochemically based technologies, while still in an early stage in the lithium refining and recycling market, offer companies a single-step refining process and a potential alternative to chemical precipitation and complex separations.

LiCAP Technologies partnering with Sakuu to provide electrodes for solid state batteries

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:15:42 +0000

LiCAP Technologies partnering with Sakuu to provide electrodes for solid state batteries adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:15

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy Storage

Under terms of a new partnership, additive manufacturer Sakuu Corporation will license LiCAP Technologies' electrode technology, and also the latter will supply electrodes for Sakuu's battery production. LiCAP develops a dry electrode technology that makes a film that can be used to laminate the current collector without need for drying or solvent recovery. LiCAP claims its production process reduces carbon footprint to one-third that of commercially available processes, uses less energy, and that the excess electrode materials can be recycled entirely.

Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology recently closed a funding round of USD 208 million

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:13:52 +0000

Beijing WeLion New Energy Technology recently closed a funding round of USD 208 million adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:13

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy Storage

The company's biggest customer is Nio, an electric vehicle company to which it will supply a semi-solid battery of 150 kWh and 1,000-km range by the end of 2022 or early 2023. The company is already producing solid-state cells for low-power applications, and solid-state batteries with a high nickel anode are under testing. Customers should note that WeLion will be the first company to have semi-solid batteries commercially used for electric vehicles, and with Nio's battery swapping model, it will have a better chance of understanding battery performance metrics with fewer batteries in the market.

Pilot and Volvo partnership will develop charging network for electric trucks

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:11:22 +0000

Pilot and Volvo partnership will develop charging network for electric trucks adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:11

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy for Mobility

The two companies have signed a letter of intent to develop and build a charging network for Pilot customers' Class 8 trucks. The companies will explore opportunities to access public funding to build this network. The charging stations will be located at select Pilot and Flying J travel centers, but the companies did not reveal how many they plan to build. Volvo has been active in the medium-and heavy-duty charging infrastructure space both in the U.S. and Europe. It will likely take a while before this network materializes, but it will be a significant step forward toward widespread medium-and heavy-duty electrification.

Harvard spinoff, Quino Energy, launches organic flow battery chemistry

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:09:18 +0000

Harvard spinoff, Quino Energy, launches organic flow battery chemistry adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:09

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy Storage

Aqueous organic electrolytes are a promising flow battery technology because of their low cost and inherent safety; however, organic molecules are susceptible to either decomposition or migration across the membrane. Organic flow battery chemistries can experience capacity fade of 0.1% per day, which prevents the technology from being cost competitive. Quino Energy has developed a chemistry using quinones that regain a redox-active structure through voltage manipulation, negating the need for most costly engineered organic molecules. In addition to a USD 4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, Quino Energy most recently raised USD 3.3 million in seed funding.

Electriq Power goes public via SPAC merger

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:05:12 +0000

Electriq Power goes public via SPAC merger adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:05

Importance Level

Interest Area

Stationary Storage

Electriq Power, a developer of residential and small business energy storage systems, will merge with TLG Acquisition One Corp, a special- purpose acquisition company (SPAC), to become a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. The transaction values the company at USD 495 million and will provide up to USD 125 million in cash. Electriq Power is working on raising additional capital before this transaction closes during the first half of 2023. The company states it will use the cash to "fund its growth," likely preparing to have enough residential storage systems to meet the growing demand in the U.S., where it will face fierce competition from LG Energy Solution, Tesla, and Sonnen.

Novonix announces pilot facility in Canada to develop dry processed cathodes

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:03:56 +0000

Novonix announces pilot facility in Canada to develop dry processed cathodes adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:03

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy Storage

Novonix is building a demonstration facility with a target capacity of 10 tonne/a and will utilize a completely dry cathode active material (CAM) synthesis technology. According to a patent filed by Novonix, its "dry particle microgranulation" process creates an aluminum oxide-coated, nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) CAM formed through high shear and pressure with uniform particle morphology and size distribution. Current state-of-the-art NMC synthesis involves combining precursor chemicals in a continuous flow tank reactor and coprecipitating the CAM. This process requires resource-intensive washing and drying steps that Novonix claims its technology bypasses.

Canoo plans to manufacture vehicles in Oklahoma

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:02:22 +0000

Canoo plans to manufacture vehicles in Oklahoma adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:02

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy for Mobility

Canoo plans to produce its lifestyle vehicle and lifestyle delivery vehicle on the 120-acre site in Oklahoma City for deliveries in 2023. Canoo also recently announced a new battery manufacturing facility in the region; the company claims the facility can produce 3,200 MWh of battery modules after ramping up. These new facilities will contribute to Canoo's attempt to fulfill its claimed USD 2 billion worth of orders, USD 750 million of which are binding. However, Canoo's Q3 earnings release shows a cash balance of only USD 6.8 million with an additional USD 200 million accessible through an at-the-market offering.

Meta Materials, DuPont Teijin, and Mitsubishi Electric to mass produce Li ion anode materials

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 06:00:58 +0000

Meta Materials, DuPont Teijin, and Mitsubishi Electric to mass produce Li ion anode materials adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:00

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy Storage

The three companies struck an agreement to collectively scale production of Meta’s PLASMAfusion anode coating system. The solution involves depositing a thin layer of copper onto a polyester film substrate, which yields better safety and energy efficiency, while reducing battery weight and cost, versus existing copper-heavy anodes. Roll-to-roll manufacturing will enable mass production, and the group plans to apply the technology to the development of solid-state batteries next. This well-timed agreement comes amid a copper shortage and global pressure to improve the safety and range of batteries.

Nano One fully acquires Johnson Matthey's battery materials business for CAD 10.25 million

adminastar — Tue, 04 Apr 2023 05:55:14 +0000

Nano One fully acquires Johnson Matthey's battery materials business for CAD 10.25 million adminastar Tue, 04/04/2023 - 13:55

Importance Level

Interest Area

Energy Storage

Nano One Materials, which previously worked with Johnson Matthey on cathode material development, will acquire a 2,400-tonne/a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) plant, certification systems to supply to battery cell manufacturers, and associated staff. The company will use the facility to scale up production of its "one-pot" technology, which eliminates the need for metal sulfates and lowers energy usage in cathode active material (CAM) production. Though the acquisition cost is a steal for Nano One —6K's 3,000-tonne/a facility will cost USD 107 million and open in 2025 —it is instrumental for Nano One to demonstrate costs of its own cathode production process, which is expected to begin operation in 2023.