EV Dreams & New Ingredients For EV Batteries
The ingredients to bake an EV battery may include lithium, copper, iron, nickel, manganese and so on, but, however, mostly graphite in terms of weight — 98% of which comes from China.
Recently China has suggested no soup for you since they are considering to halt the export of graphite for battery production outside of China.
This begs some important considerations about the future of EV batteries: What if there is a better material for batteries and the supply is sourced from the USA and other friendly countries? What can be better than flour to bake a cake? I don’t know. But we do know what can be better than graphite.
For instance, nanoparticle factories are ramping up worldwide today to produce material by the ton; and what they produce today is better than graphite. Do you know why?
This is because graphite is pretty much all-carbon and used as a happy place for lithium-ions in a battery anode. As you know Lithium ions move from one side of the battery to another and attach to atoms on one side to power EVs, on the other side to charge up for the next cycle. Carbon holds only one Lithium ion. Silicon atoms can hold up to 10 per atom.
What are Silicon nanoparticles? First very small particles in a powder. You know like flour. Take a small amount of cake flour and put it on a small plate. How small are the flour particles? Yup, very small. However, the key attribute is the particles hold the Silicon atoms in a way that allows high density current without destroying the Silicon or surrounding material. So no worries about cracking or swelling.
As to the material science behind the many vendors of Si nanoparticles, that is TMI, right? But you can read more details at this link in the excellent article: “The Age of Silicon is Here for Batteries” by Prachi Patel in Spectrum May 2023.
So higher density of storage of lithium irons in the silicon nano particles means higher energy per Kg, more range per Kg, and a faster charging rate. Storedot is one of the companies using Si to improve battery charging and plans to demonstrate a pre-production version with Polestar in 2024 with 100 miles charge in 5 minutes. Amprius is producing batteries in Si valley with two times the energy density of the best Li battery today. Initial sales are targeting aviation and sampling to the auto industry. Sila Technology and Group 14 Technology, both in Washington State are shipping Si nano particles for use in high Si density anodes. OneD claims they have achieved the cost required to enter the EV market today.
What about cost and yield?
Tesla uses silicon to conduct elastic polymer in a pilot plant in Fremont, California. They predict the cost of batteries and energy density will improve but need to improve yield. Currently using about 5% silicon for the anode and Tesla’s battery cost has decreased slightly. But that is not far enough for the well-funded startups of Silicon nanoparticles.
Yes, not proven for mass production and ubiquitous use in EVs today but it is being used in batteries for military application now and for high performance aircraft powered by batteries. And auto vendors such as GM, Mercedes, Porshe are adding the technology for some products today and high end products in pre production. As the production ramps up and the price declines this path could yield the 300-mile battery for ¼ the price of today’s battery. And fast charging of 100’s of miles in 10 minutes.
