In case you are bored with seeing clickbait titles about some new battery chemistry, I really wish to let you know that there will probably be no big sudden change, aside from the upgrades I not too long ago wrote about. A couple of months in the past in July, we wrote about how almost everyone seems to be including silicon to the anodes of lithium batteries (to see that, click on right here), as a result of it dramatically improves the pace that the battery could be charged at, and it additionally will increase the power density of those self same batteries.
Simply earlier than that in June, we wrote about how the Chinese language firm CATL was now the most important battery firm on the earth, and the Chinese language authorities had spent $23 Billion {dollars} to develop each new battery development that may be potential (to see that article, click on right here).
Whereas researching the knowledge for these articles, I saved seeing articles and youtubes about sodium and sulfur batteries, and right this moment I’m writing about what I’ve discovered about these new chemistries, and the way they evaluate to the Lithium-based batteries we’ve got been utilizing for the final 20 years.
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Lithium Provides
Ten years in the past, there was fairly a little bit of discuss how the world wanted lots of of thousands and thousands of electrical automobiles, and the identified lithium provides won’t be sufficient. Step one was building-up a recycling community, and we wrote about that again in March of 2021 (to see that article, click on right here). And it wasn’t simply recycling Lithium, as a result of the world’s provides of nickel and cobalt have been an apparent bottleneck to manufacturing, so recycling these two was particularly vital.
Nonetheless…as soon as everybody began in search of extra reserves of lithium, they FOUND them! One of many fears in regards to the supplies wanted to provide batteries, was {that a} trade-war and embargo may disrupt provides. There’s a spot known as Thacker Cross in Northern Nevada that’s the newest vital discover. I’m including this map beneath to indicate that the North American NAFTA area is not in any hazard of getting lithium provides restricted by world politics.
The “M” within the NCM chemistry is for Manganese, and that ingredient has all the time been one of the widespread parts on Earth, in order that was by no means a priority.
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Sodium Batteries
Sodium batteries exist proper now, and BYD in China is promoting the bottom mannequin of the “Seagull” with a sodium battery (to see that article, click on right here). The most important advantage of that sodium battery is that its is cheaper than lithium, and low value is the principle characteristic of the BYD Seagull.
Sodium batteries do produce other advantages. Sodium could be very ample and widespread, so provides usually are not a limiting issue. “Northvolt” is a Swedish firm that developed a sodium chemistry that makes use of no cobalt or nickel, and their explicit chemistry additionally provides some aluminum, Iron and manganese, which once more, are low cost and ample.
One other main participant within the sodium battery membership is Natron Vitality in Santa Clara, California. They’ve not too long ago damaged floor on a brand new $1.4-Billion sodium battery plant in North Carolina. Based on Natron, their sodium chemistry is non-flammable and received’t catch fireplace or explode even when punctured or heated.
Nonetheless!…Although the BYD Seagull is an EV that’s really utilizing sodium cells (together with forklifts, and data-center backup batteries), I consider the largest marketplace for sodium cells is the solar-to-grid storage as a result of their low-cost per power, and in addition as a result of they will present many extra years of cycles than lithium-Ion. It’s a booming market, and in addition, the opposite chemistries nonetheless present extra miles of vary per quantity, so in terms of automobiles…lithium nonetheless seems good.
As a side-note, army contractors have discovered that Natrons sodium batteries carry out effectively in a large temperature vary, from 0-45°C (32–113°F).
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Sulfur Batteries
Forty years in the past, lithium, silicon, sodium, and sulfur have been all recognized as parts that had the most effective potential to make an incredible rechargeable battery. Its solely random luck that Lithium-Ion was the primary chemistry to have a breakthrough and work effectively sufficient to develop the EV motion we’re in proper now.
Sulfur is reasonable and ample, and when you occur to purchase a barrel filled with sulfur this week (as one may do from time to time), there’s a excessive chance that it was separated out of crude oil to make ultra-low-sulfur-diesel gasoline (ULSD), with the extracted sulfur being a waste-product. Sulfur can also be generally well-known because the scent of rotten eggs.
A whole lot of sensible folks have additionally been engaged on sulfur-based batteries, and a fast Google exhibits that there are at the very least ten huge firms investing closely on this for causes I’ll record beneath. One firm I’d prefer to highlight is Lyten in San Jose, California. Their batteries are mature sufficient that they’ve contracted to provide the following technology of EV cells to Stellantis, which is a worldwide company that owns 14 automotive manufacturers, together with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Fiat.
After a number of years and plenty of thousands and thousands of {dollars} of experimentation, sulfur batteries have lastly had their secrets and techniques uncovered, and all the most important gamers appear to agree that combining some lithium into the sulfur has fastened most of the issues that had been discovered when utilizing sulfur alone. As with the previously-mentioned chemistries, Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries use no cobalt or nickel, so there is no such thing as a materials restrict to what number of could be made.
The one space the place Li-S batteries actually shine is of their weight per power. EV vehicles have primarily been involved with power per quantity, as a result of the scale of the pack was the limiting consider having quantity of vary. The outcome was that EV batteries have been very heavy, however they nonetheless bought effectively as a result of having 300 miles of vary was thought-about very fascinating. Li-S batteries will change that, and shortly, a 300-mile battery pack will not have to be so heavy.
Nonetheless, I don’t suppose that vehicles are the place Li-S may have its best affect. Again in March of 2024, we wrote about some latest electrical plane, and the driving attribute for plane is power per weight of battery. A lithium battery of the identical quantity could be heavier than a Li-S battery regardless of the lithium’s lengthy vary, however…when you shrunk the lithium packs measurement right down to be the identical weight because the Li-S, then the Li-S battery would have extra vary than the Lithium-Ion. For plane, the cargo and gasoline are measured by their weight.
Talking of plane, there is no such thing as a purpose that each battery couldn’t use the patented polymer/graphene electrodes from “StoreDot” to interchange the aluminum and copper ribbon electrodes we’ve got all been utilizing for the final twenty years, however I couldn’t assist however discover that…they aren’t solely cheaper, they’re lighter than aluminum and copper electrodes. I consider the early adopters can pay a premium to make use of these in electrical plane batteries, the place each ounce will rely.
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Lithium-Iron-Phosphate / LiFePO4 / LFP
I wish to be certain to offer a shout out to an outdated favourite. As I said in our article on the Chinese language battery firm CATL…about ten years in the past, China determined to make an infinite funding in different automobiles. Because the battery packs on an EV could be as a lot as seven occasions larger than a hybrid battery, their first push was to fabricate a LOT of hybrid vehicles, and since these hybrids had a small gasoline engine as a range-extender, the battery packs didn’t have to have absolutely the most vary per quantity.
In consequence, most of them used the LiFePO4 chemistry due to its two well-known traits in comparison with lithium-Ion packs like these discovered within the early Tesla’s and the Nissan Leaf. First, LiFePO4 is inherently extra fire-resistant than lithium-ion, as a result of it should warmth as much as 190°C (375°F) earlier than it begins changing to a gasoline, and even then, that gasoline just isn’t flamable. Lithium-Ion packs have had extra vary per quantity than LiFePO4, however they will start off-gassing at decrease temp of 130°C, and that flammable gasoline composition can result in a thermal runaway of all the pack.
The second commonly-known advantage of LiFePO4 is that it has been identified to final twice as many cycles and years as Lithium-Ion. And naturally, it has by no means had any cobalt or nickel from the start.
One of many nice information objects I discovered not too long ago is that for the final ten years, liFePO4 is likely one of the issues that China has continued to enhance, and now they’ve doubled its vary per quantity, and in addition discovered a means for it to be fast-charged at a really excessive charge.
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Cordless Instruments and Drones
I’ve seen cordless instruments which are utilizing the 2170 format cells with the “tabless” design. I’d have known as that an “all tab” design, as a result of all the fringe of the rolled-up cell materials is the “tab”, which eliminates a typical bottleneck to present, and a typical hot-spot. With out contemplating any modifications to the chemistry in any respect, the mechanical change of the tabless design permits cells to supply exceptionally excessive present, with much less inside warmth.
The inside warmth of regular operations is so decreased, that the scale of the cell could be elevated, and that’s the reason Tesla was in a position to go from the 2170 cell to the bigger 4680 cell, which I’m an enormous fan of.
And, so far as drones are involved, anybody who has been watching the information has seen how a number of nations have dramatically elevated the usage of drones in fight. The bigger ones nonetheless use jet engines and propellers pushed by engines. Nonetheless, there are various conditions the place an electrical drone is beneficial. When flown at evening, they don’t have any scorching exhaust, and meaning they’re MUCH more durable to identify when utilizing a thermal imaging sight.
That being mentioned, the army has proven prior to now that they’ll pay further to get excessive efficiency, and whether or not the king of the hill finally ends up being LiFePO4, Lithium-Ion, or lithium-sulfur…they’ll fund the early manufacturing examples.
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Let’s wrap it up
From the place I’m sitting that is all excellent news. Aside from solid-state batteries. These have taken a very long time to develop, and the tip result’s not so good as promised, AND…the brand new “semi-solid” batteries have surpassed the SSB’s promised efficiency.
Between lithium recycling and the brand new lithium reserve discoveries, we not have to fret a few lithium battery scarcity. Silicon, sodium, and sulfur are all now bearing fruit, so the next-gen of batteries will probably be cheaper, have longer vary, and can charge-up a lot sooner. Not solely will the batteries be cheaper, however they need to final at the very least twice as a few years as we anticipate them to final now.
The Automotive on the header of this text is the extremely popular Xiaomi SU7 from China. Should you may purchase one in China with no tariffs, it might be about $30,000 and it has a 500-mile vary.
The world has fairly a number of issues proper now, however having higher batteries obtainable is one thing that will present a brand new device to sort out a few of these issues, and that’s factor.
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Written by Ron/spinningmagnets, September 2024
