The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending December 10, 2021, closed at 5,635.94 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 4.19% (or 226.57 basis points) from the week ending December 3, 2021. The stock of 19 RDWI members gained value from 0.07% (Bristol-Myers Squibb) to 16.31% (Oracle). The stock…
New testing method yields pathway to better, longer-lasting batteries
From Sandia National Laboratories Using a microscopic method for measuring electrical potential, a team of scientists at Sandia National Laboratories may have discovered how to make a longer-lasting, more efficient battery. The team of Elliot Fuller, Josh Sugar and Alec Talin detailed their findings in an article published Oct. 19 in American Chemical Society Energy…
VW’s Elli launches ‘Volkswagen Naturstrom Connect’ with electric mobility pioneers ev.energy.
Elli, the Volkswagen subsidiary that provides sustainable energy and charging solutions, has partnered with ev.energy to launch the Volkswagen Group’s first ever intelligent household electricity tariff: Volkswagen Naturstrom Connect. The tariff will use ev.energy’s platform to market and manage the new tariff with electric vehicle owners. The Volkswagen Naturstrom Connect tariff has been developed by…
Rockwell Automation and battery pioneer Cadenza Innovation to explore driving energy storage and advance sustainability
Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and digital transformation, has announced it has begun collaborating with Cadenza Innovation, provider of safe, low cost and energy-dense Lithium-ion-based storage solutions, to define a strategic relationship including a shared goal of building the industry’s highest performance battery cell production lines. During 2022 the companies…
R&D 100 winner of the day: Layered-Rocksalt Intergrowth Electrode Materials for Next-Generation Li-ion Batteries
The $30 billion-plus global Li-ion battery market is expected to double in the next five years. Improved cathode materials will enable Li-ion batteries to operate reliably at high capacity and high voltage over repeated cycles without sacrificing performance, safety or cost. However, existing options are hindered by material and performance degradation at high voltage, limiting…
eLNO cathode technology to debut at COP26 in the world’s first two-seater electric race car
The first full size lithium-ion battery cells featuring Johnson Matthey’s advanced eLNO cathode technology are being installed in a unique high performance race car. eLNO is a family of nickel-rich cathode materials that safely enables batteries to perform better and charge more quickly while retaining exceptional battery lifetime. The global leader in sustainable technologies partnered…
DOE announces $209M for electric vehicles battery research
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced $209 million in funding for 26 new laboratory projects focusing on electric vehicles, advanced batteries and connected vehicles. Advanced, lithium-based batteries play an integral role in 21st century technologies such as electric vehicles, stationary grid storage and defense applications that will be critical to securing America’s clean…
Breakthrough research makes battery recycling more economical
From Argonne National Laboratory How do we make battery recycling cost effective? Scientists at the ReCell Center have taken another step towards that goal. Lithium-ion batteries are the engines of our technological present and future. They power portable electronics, such as smartphones and laptops and electric vehicles (EVs), which are growing in popularity. But the…
The 2021 New Product Showcase at E/HV trade show to feature innovators
The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo North America, the largest and most comprehensive advanced battery technology and E/HV trade show and conference, has announced the 24 companies set to partake in this year’s New Product Showcase. Slated for September 14-16 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, the event returns…
Group14 Technologies and InoBat partner to deliver lithium-silicon batteries to automakers
Group14 Technologies, a global provider of silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion markets, and Inobat Auto, a European battery R&D and manufacturing company, announce a partnership to custom manufacture high energy density batteries for automotive applications. As major global automakers continue to make commitments to all-electric lineups, the demand for higher-performing energy storage is continuing to…
Automated disassembly line aims to make battery recycling safer, faster
From Oak Ridge National Laboratory Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory developed a robotic disassembly system for used electric vehicle batteries to make the process safer, more efficient and less costly. Credit: Jenny Woodbery/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a robotic disassembly system for…
Sandia designs better batteries for grid-scale energy storage
By Mollie Rappe, Sandia News Media Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories have designed a new class of molten sodium batteries for grid-scale energy storage. The new battery design was shared in a paper published today in the scientific journal Cell Reports Physical Science. Molten sodium batteries have been used for many years to store energy…
Group14 Technologies joins SK materials to speed sourcing for lithium-silicon battery materials
News provided by Group14 Technologies Group14 Technologies, a provider of silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion markets, announces a joint venture with SK materials, manufacturer of special gases and industrial gases, to build a factory for lithium-silicon battery materials in South Korea. The joint venture is the latest development for Group14 to secure dual sourcing for…
The hidden culprit killing lithium-metal batteries from the inside
By Troy Rummler, Sandia National Laboratory For decades, scientists have tried to make reliable lithium-metal batteries. These high-performance storage cells hold 50% more energy than their prolific, lithium-ion cousins, but higher failure rates and safety problems like fires and explosions have crippled commercialization efforts. Researchers have hypothesized why the devices fail, but direct evidence has…
Charge your car – no wires needed
By Stephanie G Seay, ORNL Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated their wireless charging technology on an autonomous electric vehicle for the first time in a project with Local Motors. The charging system developed at ORNL was installed on Local Motors’ autonomous shuttle, the Olli. The architecture includes both wireless and wired charging, so the…
SwRI forms Joint Industry Program to investigate safety, longevity of grid-connected energy storage systems
Southwest Research Institute has launched a new Joint Industry Program (JIP) to investigate energy storage systems for the grid. JIP efforts will include developing new test cycles for batteries employed in grid applications, estimating the life span of batteries and their potential for failure, and reducing likelihood of battery fires. “I’m delighted that the Institute…
The biodegradable battery
by Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology The fabrication device for the battery revolution looks quite inconspicuous: It is a modified, commercially available 3D printer, located in a room in the Empa laboratory building. But the real innovation lies within the recipe for the gelatinous inks this printer can dispense onto a…
Scientists discover new approach to stabilize cathode materials
By Stephanie Kossman A team of researchers led by chemists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has studied an elusive property in cathode materials, called a valence gradient, to understand its effect on battery performance. The findings, published in Nature Communications, demonstrated that the valence gradient can serve as a new…
Li-ion batteries might lose their leadership in stationary applications
“We are looking at the solution, but most of the time we forget the problem”. The energy scenario is changing as a result of years of green policies adopted by major countries in the world. With energy storage playing a key role toward the integration of variable renewable energy (VRE) in the power grid, will…
Battery analytics company TWAICE raises $26M in Series B funding
TWAICE, a battery analytics software company that enhances transparency and predictability of batteries, announced it has raised $26 million in Series B funding. Led by global alternative investment manager Energize Ventures, including help from participating investors brought TWAICE’s total financing to $45 million. The funds will be used to expand core capabilities such as the…
DLR and Cambridge Quantum partner to use quantum computers to build better battery simulation models
Cambridge Quantum Computing (CQC) has partnered with the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luftund Raumfahrt; DLR) to explore how quantum computing could help create better simulation models for battery development to aid future energy utilization. The collaboration will see DLR – the national aeronautics and space research center of the Federal Republic of Germany…
EnergyX raises $20M in funding commitments for direct lithium extraction technology
Early this year Energy Exploration Technologies (EnergyX) secured commitments of $20 million in financing, for direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. Based in the US, EnergyX is a technology company that is focused on delivering the latest scientific innovations in sustainable lithium extraction methods and solid-state battery energy storage systems. This funding also makes EnergyX the…
Designing selective membranes for batteries using a Drug Discovery toolbox
By Rachel Berkowitz Membranes that allow certain molecules to quickly pass through while blocking others are key enablers for energy technologies from batteries and fuel cells to resource refinement and water purification. For example, membranes in a battery separating the two terminals help to prevent short circuits, while also allowing the transport of charged particles,…
X-ray experiments, machine learning could trim years off battery R&D
By Glenn Roberts Jr. An X-ray instrument at Berkeley Lab contributed to a battery study that used an innovative approach to machine learning to speed up the learning curve about a process that shortens the life of fast-charging lithium batteries. Researchers used Berkeley Lab’s Advanced Light Source, a synchrotron that produces light ranging from the…
Study reveals plunge in lithium-ion battery costs
By David L. Chandler | MIT News Office The cost of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries used for phones, laptops and cars has fallen dramatically over the last three decades and has been a major driver of the rapid growth of those technologies. But attempting to quantify that cost decline has produced ambiguous and conflicting results…