Thread for new battery breakthrough PR releases

I've had good luck with "Just Have a Think".

With "Undecided", its a useful start to some research, but it is not reliable information. I look at it as infotainment which is one level above clickbait, but not quite as useful as wikipedia...
 
This is interesting, not a "battery" but can store and release energy with amazing energy density:

Twisted carbon nanotubes store 3 times more energy than lithium batteries

The researchers found that their twisted carbon nanotubes could hold 15,000 times more energy than steel springs per unit mass. The researchers successfully demonstrated an energy storage density three times higher than the standard lithium-ion battery. Unlike the variable performance that lithium-ion batteries deliver under different operating temperatures, the twisted carbon nanotubes demonstrated consistency in energy storage through a wide temperature range of -76 Fahrenheit (-60 degrees Celsius) to 212 °F (100 °C).

It's like a high-tech version of a rubber band airplane. While we probably won't see spring powered bikes anytime soon, it may be good for applications where you want a very tiny power source.
 
Ok !. So it's been a few years since thes Li-S cells first started production, and with apparently huge improvement potential to over 600-1000 Whr/ kg. And reported very low costs (<<$100/kWhr ?)
So where are they ??

BTW - This quote from @Hillhater was from 2015.....

 
This is interesting, not a "battery" but can store and release energy with amazing energy density:

Twisted carbon nanotubes store 3 times more energy than lithium batteries



It's like a high-tech version of a rubber band airplane. While we probably won't see spring powered bikes anytime soon, it may be good for applications where you want a very tiny power source.
Here's the actual paper in question that discusses its implementation:

It reminds me of carbon flywheels having insanely high energy density because you can rotate them extremely quickly and not fly apart.
 
So I was doing some of the usual "next gen battery charging algorithm" search I do every now and then, and I just found this very interesting blog post on the subject of pulse discharging activation:
 
Anyone try Amprius batteries from these guys?
Prices are insane ($13-$17 per 18650) but they are an authorized seller for Amprius Upgrade Energy | Amprius - Max Range
Don't know if they'll sell cells alone, or build in different configurations. They have the 10Ah pouch cells as well as 4Ah 18650
 
Anyone try Amprius batteries from these guys?
Prices are insane ($13-$17 per 18650) but they are an authorized seller for Amprius Upgrade Energy | Amprius - Max Range
Don't know if they'll sell cells alone, or build in different configurations. They have the 10Ah pouch cells as well as 4Ah 18650
These packs would be nice, but considering that there now are 300Wh/kg cells with better cycle life, I'm not that interested.

The problem with current Amprius cells is that I'm very wary of their calendar life.
It doesn't look like they've solved the silicon anode activity problem, which means Si/SiOx uses up electrolyte additives (specifically FEC), even during storage and above Si/SiOx activation voltage (3.4V).
 
??… realy ? ..4 Ah 18650 s ?,…Has anyone verified that capacity ?
I was hoping someone here might get some for testing.

A look into the chemistry of Amprius: Will Silicon-Based Anode Technology Take the Crown as the Future of High-Energy-Density Lithium Batteries? | TechInsights

Interview with Amprius rep where I found the info about Upgrade Energy selling the batteries:


(In full disclosure I do own some stock in Amprius, as well as a few other battery related companies, with the full expectation that most of them will go nowhere. Amprius seems like the most promising, though until recently I've only lost money on them through sales for tax loss harvesting. They recently got a warning from the stock exchange for trading under $1 for over 30 days and risk delisting if they don't go above for 30 days).
 
Which cells? I'm looking to replace a pack in an electric skateboard and want to keep it small and light but still have enough power, hence my interest in the Amprius cells.


Make sure to charge at 0.2C and discharge down to 2.5-2.8V to extract maximum capacity from them since they do have higher Si loading than common 3.6 18650 3.5Ah cells. That also means you should try and avoid going below the 3.4V range so only graphite gets activated.

The cells themselves are made by FEB (Far East Battery) but if you're willing to wait, there are other 4Ah 18650 cells coming from other manufacturers with superior rates (Ampace I believe)
 
BTW, I completely forgot to post this a while back:

Quote that matters:
"We're already in the phones of the largest mobile phone maker in China," he says. "Does it start with X?" I asked. He smiled and said, "Actually, no. I'll say millions of phones in China have our materials." A quick scan of Huawei's website shows multiple charging-related benefits, and rumors of new products having silicon batteries.

Group14 also made it public that ATL, a large Chinese battery manufacturer that led Group14's Series A funding round, received its first shipment of SCC55 in early 2023 for use in smartphones.
Heavy emphasis on ATL.

There's quite a high probability that CATL is the next one in line to release XHP (Extreme High Power) HE cells using this anode tech, aside from Molicel. There's also a high chance that CATL has the clout to make an Si anode LFP cell because of this...
Now that would be interesting :)
 
They recently got a large DOE funding grant


And have a contract with CustomCells, (never heard of them, seem to be mostly focused on eVTOL)


 
Huh. EVE apparently had a condensed state battery using a modern gel electrolyte:

Feels like HE semi-solid state here.

Also EVE Omnicell 7000 cycles NMC(A) 811 cell at 320Wh/kg:

This reads like tabless + ceramic-cellulose + high conductivity electrolyte + Group 14 SCC55 anode all in one.

Also a cylindrical cell apparently, but a 50Ah cylindrical cell sounds massive.
 
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I found semi solid state LiFePo4 in 18650 3500mAh format available for buying from Alibaba. Claiming 6C current capability with life 500 cycles. Hope to be true...
View attachment 360447
3500mah in 18650 format for LFP? Almost certainly too good to be true
 
3500mah in 18650 format for LFP? Almost certainly too good to be true
It is definitely possible considering that 205Wh/kg LFP cells do exist, and that silicon anodes have yet to be used in commercial cells.

Considering Group 14's efforts have been very successful with manufacturers, I wouldn't be surprised if someone dared making combining an Si-C anode with an LFP cathode and make a 250Wh/kg cell.

The other possibility is that it is not an LFP cells, but an LMFP cell, but that is not probable.
 
Wow dude, battery technology seems to be going exponential vs the last 10 years.

I can't believe we're beyond 300whrs/kg for today's lithium.
 
Wow dude, battery technology seems to be going exponential vs the last 10 years.

I can't believe we're beyond 300whrs/kg for today's lithium.
Indeed, and that's only the beginning.

We have a small chance of getting up to the golden limit of 6kWh/kg* (lithium-air) if the research into battery technology improves further and further.

*Full cell energy density with its own oxidants. If you use a lithium-air cell that uses atmospheric oxygen, you can get to 9kWh/kg in a full cell, and 12kWh/kg in theory (never happening for obvious reasons).
 
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