Battery Metals

Erik Buell is well known for his work in the motorcycle sector. He was the founder, former Chairman, and Chief Technical Officer of the Buell Motorcycle Company, which later merged with Harley Davidson Corp. He started out making sport bikes with Harley Davidson engines, having Harley Davidson as a major stakeholder. In 2009, after stopping the production of all Buell motorcycles and being dropped from Harley Davidson, he established Erik Buell Racing. Hero MotoCorp acquired 49.2% stake of EBR in 2013, but their good times ended soon forcing them to shut down in 2017.

But now, Erik Buell seems to be interested in a new product: electric bikes. The new venture is called VanguardSpark and has two partners in addition to Buell. FX Terry, the head of Vanguard Motorcycles, and Frederic Vasseur, the founder of Spark Racing Technology that makes Formula E cars.

VanguardSpark will start the production of their two new models, whose detailed designs and specifications haven’t yet been revealed by the firm. The first model will be a pedal assisted electric bike called SpeedBike. Though it is being called a ‘bike’, it is more of an electric bicycle than a full-fledged electric motorcycle. The second model, the Commuter, is expected to be an urban electric motorcycle capable of going 150+ kilometres once fully charged.

The sketches of these models reveal the battery pack encased in a carbon fibre monocoque shell with a hub mounted electric motor on the rear wheel. The Commuter isn’t supposed to be a high performance bike and will mostly serve as an urban electric two wheeler. VanguardSpark have filed four patent applications and prototypes of the bikes are expected to be out in a few months.

Honda’s EV Cub concept is now gathering momentum towards a full-fledged production model, and although no latest images of anything close to the production model have been released, Honda has applied for patents that show that the EV Cub will adopt the removable battery technology used in the Honda PCX Electric. The PCX Electric was showcased at the Auto Expo 2018, but so far, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India have no plans of introducing it anytime soon in India. The unveil at the Auto Expo was just to showcase the Honda Mobile Power Pack Technology, essentially the removable batteries which can be taken out for charging or charged inside the scooter.

The latest patent drawings of the EV Cub also indicate that it will also use the same removable battery technology. The EV Cub has already been showed as a concept in two versions, first in 2009, and then again at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2015. The second generation concept also showed the battery swap concept, but the latest patent filings show that Honda has moved on from a single battery set-up to a dual battery arrangement. The two batteries will sit longitudinally between the rider’s feet. And to accommodate the batteries, Honda has used a revised perimeter frame with the tubes framing the batteries. Access to the batteries to remove them from charging will be through a panel that swings outside, rather than the batteries dropped in from above.

Given the immense popularity of the Honda Cub, which lays its claim to fame as the most popular bike to be ever built, crossed more than 100 million production units last year. First introduced in 1958, the Honda Cub went on to become one of the single largest selling two-wheelers worldwide, but the Cub has never been marketed or sold in India. With an increasing focus on electric mobility, the Honda EV Cub will certainly offer an accessible mass-market electric two-wheeler once it’s launched, sometime later this year, or even early next year. So far, HMSI has been non-committal about any plans of developing an India-specific electric two-wheeler, but the future seems to be increasingly moving towards electric mobility. The swappable battery technology seems to be a novel way of making sure the masses adopt the technology, without too much range or recharge anxiety.

 

Harnessing the full electrochemical power of lithium-oxygen batteries requires an efficient, more stable electrolyte. Researchers from Boston College have applied a “water-in-salt” electrolyte that enables stable lithium-air battery operation, offers superior long cycle lifetimes and presents a platform that moves lithium-ion batteries closer to their full potential, the team reports in the journal Chem.

In an effort to find a suitable electrolyte system, the team’s water-in-salt approach involves no organic solvents. It consists of super-concentrated lithium salt, known as LiTFSI, in which water molecules lock onto the ions and experience less degradation when in contact with oxygen molecules, according to the researchers, led by Boston College Professor of Chemistry Dunwei Wang.

The result is a “highly effective electrolyte that permits stable Li-O2 battery operations on the cathode with superior cycle lifetimes,” the team reports in the article titled “Cathodically stable Li-O2 battery operations using water-in-salt electrolyte.” Experiments showed the electrolyte enables stable lithium-air battery operations up to 300 cycles, making it competitive for practical applications.
Lithium-ion batteries operate by reversible insertion and extraction of lithium ions into and from a solid material, such as cobalt oxide. Here, lithium-air batteries operate by forming lithium peroxide during discharge and decomposing lithium peroxide during recharge.

Despite more than two decades of research, improving lithium-ion battery technology has fallen short of the theoretical potential for energy storage. As an electrochemical energy storage technology, upgrading performance requires improved stability of electrolytes.

The team found a way around the problem of instability that arises from the use of water in the development of aqueous electrolytes.

“We employed an unorthodox approach of using a water-based electrolyte for Li-O2 batteries,” said Wang. “Previously, water was thought to be extremely bad for Li-O2 battery operations because it would promote parasitic chemical reactions to significantly undermine the desired chemistry. We discovered that when the salt concentration is high, most water molecules can be locked down so that they provide the right functionalities such as conductivity but exhibit little of the parasitic chemical reactions.”

The team sought to overcome the limitations that have plagued earlier efforts to tame the complex chemical reactions within lithium-air battery prototypes, said Wang, who conducted the project with Boston College researchers Qi Dong, Xiahui Yao, Yanyan Zhao, Miao Qi, Xizi Zhang and Yumin He, and Hongyu Sun from the Technical University of Denmark.
“We studied a new concept for Li-O2 batteries,” said Wang. “We used a combination of electrochemistry and materials characterization tools to carry out the study. Our goal is to enable stable, high-performance Li-O2 battery operations.”

If you’ve been following the development of electric vehicles for long enough, you’ve undoubtedly seen videos of futuristic robots that remove a car’s depleted battery pack, install a fully charged replacement, and send it on its way in a few short minutes. It’s quicker than brimming a tank of gasoline. In theory, this solution eliminates range anxiety once and for all. In application, it’s not as simple as it sounds. Volkswagen’s top electric car expert said we shouldn’t expect to see this technology pop up on American highways anytime soon.

“From an engineering standpoint it’s clear: Don’t do it,” Christian Senger, Volkswagen’s head of e-mobility, told Digital Trends.

He explained making the battery removable creates a long list of structural problems. In a long-range electric car, the pack is a roughly 1,000-pound part usually sandwiched right under the passenger compartment. It helps keep the car together, in other words, so engineers can’t merely attach it to the chassis with four screws and call it a good job well done. It needs to be integrated into the platform to provide an adequate level of passive safety.

“It’s like windows. In the old days, we embedded a windshield in a rubber part. Nowadays, a windshield is glued in and it helps support the whole structure. The same is true with battery packs,” Senger pointed out.

It’s not just about safety. Volkswagen wants to avoid making a mess — literally. Most modern electric cars use a liquid-cooled battery pack. Swapping it would consequently require temporarily disconnecting the coolant system without spilling half of it. It’s doable, but it causes an additional set of issues that need to be solved before battery-swapping stations merge into the mainstream. Spending money on faster chargers and improving battery technology to give electric cars more range makes more sense in the long run.

With that said, the company could make one significant exception: China. Battery-swapping stations are gradually popping up across China as a way to sustain the growing, government-backed electric taxi industry. Nothing is set in stone yet, but Volkswagen’s Chinese division hasn’t ruled out jumping into the sector.

“The [Chinese taxi industry] now has this battery-swapping system. It’s a clever concept; sometimes it’s housed in shipping containers. The car drives in and gets a new battery pack. It’s extremely flexible. We are looking at how relevant this is for our market success in China, but I don’t see it for the rest of the world.”

The upcoming Mission E announces a new chapter in Porsche’s 70-year history. It’s entirely electric, which is an eyebrow-raising first for the brand, but its significance doesn’t stop there. It’s also the car that will take Porsche to new heights in terms of connectivity while helping it expand its business into unprecedented areas. We sat down with Joe Lawrence, the chief operating officer of Porsche’s North American division, to get insight on what the Mission E means for the company.

“It’s huge,” Lawrence told Digital Trends on the side-lines of the New York auto show. He added the company expects the electrified segment will become one of its major markets in the coming years. The Mission E will be the brand’s first series-produced electric car but it certainly won’t be the last. Part of the encouragement pushing Porsche down this route stems from the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the Mission E from prospective buyers and American dealers alike. “We talk to dealers; they tell us we can’t get it here soon enough.” The Mission E Cross Turismo concept (pictured above) eclipsed other big debuts as one of the stars of the last Geneva auto show.

The specifications sheet makes the Mission E impressive on paper. It uses two motors, it offers all-wheel drive, and it boasts about 300 miles of real-world range from a lithium-ion battery pack stuffed directly under the passenger compartment. Think of its basic platform as a skateboard. An innovative 800-volt charging system developed in-house promises to help eradicate range anxiety by replenishing the battery pack in record time. Porsche calls this concept Turbo Charging.

The 800-volt system and the corresponding infrastructure will become indispensable tools for Mission E owners who want to take a road trip, but Lawrence predicts 90 percent of charging will be done at home or in the office, where charging times matter less. For these applications, Porsche is looking at offering wireless inductive charging, a technology sister company Audi already pioneered on the 2019 A8. Interestingly, the company could also build its own network of charging stations across the United States.

“We’re looking at putting convenience stations at interesting properties that might be a good fit for our customers, whether it’s a high-end hotel or a resort. There is potential. They would be built and maintained by Porsche,” Lawrence revealed.

Today, an electric car is also a high-tech one. These two facets of the automobile industry go hand in hand, and we’re still several years away from seeing an entry-level, battery-powered hatchback with steel wheels, black plastic bumpers, and a CD/MP3 player in lieu of a touch screen merge into the mainstream. Porsche understands this, so it’s making the Mission E its most connected car yet. It will get an entirely digital instrument cluster, and it will be compatible with an over-the-airupdating system that will, among other features, let the driver update the infotainment system to a new version or unlock more range for a weekend getaway, for example. Half of this unprecedented push towards connectivity features comes from customers; Porsche takes credit for the other half as it tries different ideas to see what works and what doesn’t.

“Connectivity […] is certainly something customers are asking for. I think there’s also some degree of creative engineering going on, solving questions that may not yet even be in the mind of customers. That’s what innovation is all about. That’s something we will continue to push forward,” Lawrence explained.

Mission E sales will begin shortly after the model breaks cover. Its introduction will take place before the end of the year, either at a major auto show or during a standalone event. Eager motorists might be able to reserve a spot in line and become one of the first to take delivery of the new electric Porsche. The brand hasn’t completely ruled out a Tesla-like reservation system, though it’s not actively planning one as of writing.

“That’s something we don’t have plans for. It doesn’t mean that we won’t. We’ll work together with our dealers on determining whether that’s something that will make sense or not,” Lawrence told us when we asked the possibility of opening up pre-orders.

So, what’s next? Will every Porsche be electric from now on? Not a chance, says Lawrence. Electrification is merely part of the company’s strategy as it puts together its game plan for the next decade. The Stuttgart-based firm will continue to invest in plug-in hybrid powertrains, like the ones found in the Panamera and the Cayenne, and in regular internal combustion engines, like the flat-four and -six units that equip the 911 and 718 model lines.

The Japanese car giant is looking to boost production capacity for electric-car batteries as it aims to sell 4.5 million hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2030.

The focus for battery manufacturing would be Thailand because electric cars sales in the kingdom was expected to grow due to tax incentives, Toyota sources said.

Key battery components would be imported to central Chachoengsao, east of Bangkok, where Toyota has a final assembly plant.

Toyota subsidiary Primearth EV Energy, which has factories in Japan and China, currently makes batteries for car factories around the world.

GDP forecast 

Thailand’s economy is expected to grow by 4.1 per cent this year, up from 3.6 per cent predicted last August, according to the World Bank.

“Thailand cannot attain advanced-country status if it cannot meet the challenges of innovation,” said Dr Kobsak Pootrakool, the Prime Minister’s Office minister.

An acceleration in capital goods imports suggested a recovery in domestic demand recovery, the Washington-based body said.

“With economic growth exceeding 4 per cent this year, for the first time since 2012, Thailand has the potential, with intensifying structural reforms, to raise productivity and grow even faster over the medium term,” said Ulrich Zachau, the World Bank’s Asean director.

“In addition to education and skills reform and strong implementation of quality infrastructure investments, increasing competition, especially in services, will be key for boosting innovation and lifting Thailand onto a new path of higher, long-term growth.”

Thailand ranked 52 out of 128 in the Global Innovation Index last year.

Thai exports were expected to rise 6 per cent this year, although the threat of a US-China trade war may endanger that, according to World Bank economist Kiatipong Ariyapruchya.

The threatened trade dispute was yet to have a significant impact on Thai shipments, which were also underpinned by demand from other markets, including domestic demand, he added.

The Bank of Thailand in March raised its economic growth forecast for this year to 4.1 per cent from 3.9 per cent and projected a 7-per-cent gain in exports, instead of 4 per cent.

Last year, the Thai economy expanded 3.9 per cent, the fastest pace in five years since the military coup of May 2014, while exports rose by nearly 10 per cent.