What you’ll learn:
- How Li-metal batteries overcome the limits of conventional Li-ion batteries.
- How a new hybrid Li-metal architecture overcomes many of the problems previously encountered with these types of cells.
- How the improved power density and $/kWh of Li-metal batteries is expected to affect both EV design and the EV market.
Rapid advances in battery technology have become the most significant factor in determining the future of electric vehicles (EVs). The lower costs, higher power densities, and reduced reliance on strategically sensitive materials are helping automakers make significant improvements in the price, performance, and practicality of each succeeding generation of EVs.
Electronic Design had the opportunity to gain some deeper insights into the technology and economics of the ongoing battery revolution during a recent interview with Jing Nealis, CFO of SES AI, a global developer and manufacturer of high-performance Li-metal batteries (see the video above).
During our conversation, Nealis shared a bit about SES's technologies and how they serve the company's mission to help manufacturers to produce better-performing, more affordable EVs, electric aircraft, and other forms of electric transportation. To accomplish this, SES uses a hybrid Li-metal architecture (Fig. 1) that incorporates several key technologies:
- A proprietary high-concentration solvent-in-salt electrolyte that fundamentally changes the way lithium dendrites grow, which reduces their rate of propagation.
- A protective coating that further stabilizes the interface between the electrolyte and Li-metal anode.
- A composite Li-metal anode that has a fundamentally different lithium dendrite formation mechanism, which almost eliminates the ability to degrade battery cells
Designed primarily for use in pouch-type cells, the new battery architecture enables existing manufacturing plants to be quickly upgraded to produce cells with 20% to 30% higher energy density at little or no added cost per unit. Slated to enter production in 2024, the company’s large-format 100-Ah cells are expected to deliver >400 Wh/kg and 1,000 Wh/L while charging more rapidly and delivering a large number of charge/discharge cycles.
Some of the initial markets for the cells are anticipated to be eVTOLs and other electric aircraft, but joint development agreements with three of the world's largest automotive companies (General Motors, Honda, and Hyundai) clearly point to their widespread adoption in EVs. The higher power densities afforded by the new cells could change both the economics and the shape of the EV market.
Until now, the relatively lower densities of earlier batteries have forced manufacturers to either produce compact cars with relatively limited range or SUV-sized vehicles with beefy structures capable of accommodating a much larger battery pack.
Smaller, lighter, more powerful batteries, such as those made possible by SES, will enable manufacturers to produce a wider variety of vehicle types at more affordable costs. For example, the sleek concept cars recently announced by Mercedes and BMW (Fig. 2) are said to be fairly accurate previews of the production vehicles expected to offer ranges in excess of 450 miles. Such range is made possible by next-generation, high-capacity batteries that could enter the market as early as 2025.
