![]() ![]() OneD Battery Sciences, which has partnered with GM, and Sionic Energy could take additional steps toward commercialization this year. Other startups are working to blend silicon and graphite together for anodes. Lithium-ion batteries keep getting better and cheaper, but researchers are tweaking the technology further to eke out greater performance and lower costs. Another company, ESS, is building a different type of iron battery that employs similar chemistry it has begun manufacturing at its headquarters in Wilsonville, Oregon. The company recently announced a $760 million manufacturing facility in Weirton, West Virginia, scheduled to begin construction in 2023. Form Energy is developing an iron-air battery that uses a water-based electrolyte and basically stores energy using reversible rusting. One rising star in stationary storage is iron, and two players could see progress in the coming year. Size and weight don’t matter as much for grid storage, which means different chemistries will likely win out. While batteries for EVs are getting smaller, lighter, and faster, the primary goal for stationary storage is to cut costs. Lithium-ion batteries aren’t ideal for stationary storage, even though they’re commonly used for it today. But demand for electricity storage is growing as more renewable power is installed, since major renewable power sources like wind and solar are variable, and batteries can help store energy for when it’s needed. Today, the market for batteries aimed at stationary grid storage is small-about one-tenth the size of the market for EV batteries, according to Yayoi Sekine, head of energy storage at energy research firm BloombergNEF. But it’s not clear whether these batteries will be able to meet needs for EV range and charging time, which is why several companies going after the technology, like US-based Natron, are targeting less demanding applications to start, like stationary storage or micromobility devices such as e-bikes and scooters. Sodium-ion batteries may not improve performance, but they could cut costs because they rely on cheaper, more widely available materials than lithium-ion chemistries do. Chinese battery giant CATL reportedly plans to begin mass-producing them in 2023. These batteries have a design similar to that of lithium-ion batteries, including a liquid electrolyte, but instead of relying on lithium, they use sodium as the main chemical ingredient. Sodium-ion batteries also swerve sharply from lithium-ion chemistries common today. Solid-state batteries aren’t the only new technology to watch out for. But while they could reach major milestones this year as well, their batteries won’t make it into vehicles on the road in 2023. Other solid-state-battery players, like Solid Power, are also working to build and test their batteries. ![]() Quantumscape announced in late December it had delivered samples to automotive partners for testing, a significant milestone on the road to getting solid-state batteries into cars. The company has a deal with Volkswagen that could put its batteries in cars by 2025.īut completely reinventing batteries has proved difficult, and lithium-metal batteries have seen concerns about degradation over time, as well as manufacturing challenges. Quantumscape, for one, is focused on that technology and raised hundreds of millions in funding before going public in 2020. Solid-state batteries can use a wide range of chemistries, but a leading candidate for commercialization uses lithium metal. And because some solvents used in electrolytes can be flammable, proponents of solid-state batteries say they improve safety by cutting fire risk. Solid-state batteries could also move charge around faster, meaning shorter charging times. This swap unlocks possibilities that pack more energy into a smaller space, potentially improving the range of electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries and related chemistries use a liquid electrolyte that shuttles charge around solid-state batteries replace this liquid with ceramics or other solid materials. One advance to keep an eye on this year is in so-called solid-state batteries. Some dramatically different approaches to EV batteries could see progress in 2023, though they will likely take longer to make a commercial impact. In the midst of the soaring demand for EVs and renewable power and an explosion in battery development, one thing is certain: batteries will play a key role in the transition to renewable energy.
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