Lithium News

Disruptive battery technology developer has boosted its anode production capacity for its batteries in anticipation of future commercial orders.

As part of the capacity increase, the company has secured a custom-built 50 litre hydrothermal reactor, which will produce the battery’s titanium dioxide anode.

According to UltraCharge, the reactor will produce up to 250kg a year of the titanium anode material.

This will enable the company to build up to 20 ampere hour cells to be delivered for trial activities, prototypes and potential commercial orders.

“The increased production capacity with our new state of the art hydrothermal reactor puts us in position to meet anticipated end-user demand for our anode,” UltraCharge chief executive officer Kobi Ben-Shabat said.

“Importantly, it also gives UltraCharge the opportunity to commercially deliver, our full lithium-ion battery solution to the world,” he said.

“We are still the only ASX-listed company with the ability to produce a lithium-ion battery.”

UltraCharge’s titanium dioxide anode

Currently, the lithium-ion battery anode is made from graphite. However, UltraCharge has developed titanium dioxide-based nanotube fibres to replace graphite in the anode.

The company claims its titanium dioxide technology is a “game changer” solution to the battery market due to titanium dioxide’s abundance and lower cost.

Other disruptive technologies

UltraCharge is working on several technologies that could potentially negate the current challenges the lithium-ion battery market is facing including cost, slow and limited lifetime recharging, as well as safety and transportation risks.

The company has an agreement with a China-based fluorine chemical manufacture to develop its recently acquired electrolyte salt technology which could boost the life span and performance of the battery.

UltraCharge is also advancing a cathode technology which comprises a lithium, manganese, nickel and oxygen formula. UltraCharge claims this formula is “half the cost of commercial cathodes” and offers a longer life and more rapid charging.

This formula eliminates the need for cobalt, which has a rapidly increasing price due to tight supply.

Automated container transporters (AGV) at at HHLA Container Terminal Alternwerder (CTA) will be powered by lithium-ion batteries in the future, as they move containers between ships and the yard.

The use of green energy prevents any CO₂, nitric oxide or particulate matter from being emitted and the vehicles are also three times more efficient than their diesel-powered predecessors, noted the terminal operator.

The machines can also contribute to the stabilisation of the grid by precisely extracting or feeding energy during their time at the charging station.

Germany’s ministry of environment and energy will provide funding worth approximately €8m from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for the project.

Angela Titzrath, chairwoman of HHLA’s executive board, said that the company would set itself new goals after hitting its self-imposed target of reducing CO₂ emissions per container by 30% compared to 2008 ahead of schedule.

A lithium-ion battery-powered AGV prototype has been in operation at the CTA since autumn 2016 and was successfully tested together with an electric charging station.

Thanks to a fully automated loading arm, the AGV will be supplied with the green energy used at the CTA.

Six of these charging stations have already been installed at Altenwerder. Over the coming weeks, 25 lithium-ion battery-powered AGVs will go into operation at the CTA.

By the end of 2022, the fleet of almost 100 AGVs will be completely switched over to lithium-ion battery drive and a total of 18 charging stations will be installed.

This is expected to result in an annual reduction in emissions of approximately 15,500 tonnes of CO₂ and around 118 tonnes of nitrogen oxide.

Ola, which believes electric vehicles will help the environment and have better outcomes for drivers and customers, has announced Mission: Electric, committing to put over one million electric vehicles on the road by 2021.

A year after Ola, in partnership with Mahindra & Mahindra, launched a programme to build an electric mass mobility ecosystem in Nagpur, the firm is now aiming to expand this across the country. The Bengaluru-based ride-hailing platform announced Mission: Electric, committing to place over 10,000 e-rickshaws and electric auto-rickshaws on the road in the next 12 months. 

The company also increased its commitment to the Nagpur pilot and further expanding its EV fleet to three other Indian cities. The team did not comment on which three cities it is looking to at. The company aims to put over one million electric vehicles on the road by 2021. 

Ola believes that electric vehicles can not only help the environment but can also have better outcomes for drivers, customers, and even help the company’s overall business model. 

The homegrown unicorn will work closely with different city corporations, driver partners, vehicle manufacturers,  and battery companies to make sustainable technologies cost-effective and viable for daily commute. The idea is to bring cleaner, more comfortable, and safer products to market.   

Ola is believed to already be in talks with several state governments, OEM (original equipment manufacturers), and EV innovators across the globe. 

In Nagpur, Ola’s electric vehicle project was inaugurated by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and Nitin Gadkari, Honourable Union Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping. 

The project included electric cabs, electric auto rickshaws, electric buses, rooftop solar installations, charging stations, and battery swapping experiments. Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO , Ola, said: 

“After more than 4 million electric kilometres travelled and many lessons learned, we are significantly expanding our commitment to electrify mobility in India.  Ola leads by example, and we look forward to working with state governments and other partners to introduce accessible, affordable, and sustainable mobility solutions at scale.”

Bhavish says three-wheelers are a vital means of transportation and a source of livelihood for millions. He adds that this also represent an immediate opportunity to improve outcomes for all stakeholders while reducing pollution across towns and cities.

The currently operational city EV programme in Nagpur has provided Ola with insights into managing vehicles, batteries, and other operations. The company plans to continue its experimentation with ways to optimise batteries and charging, to develop a strong business model for EV deployment in the country.  Last May, media reports had suggested that Ola was headed the electric car way, or at least that its lead investor—SoftBank—was bullish about the electric car market in India. 

Revolutionising public transport

The reports suggested that the Indian government was already in talks with SoftBank for low-interest funding of about 2 lakh electric buses to be deployed in public transport. As a part of the Maharashtra deal, e-cabs, e-buses, e-rickshaws, and e-autos will all be brought on one platform. 

Masayoshi Son, CEO, SoftBank, had told Mint that Ola would deploy a million electric vehicles in the next five years in partnership with a carmaker and the government. The Nagpur project seems to be the first step in that direction. 

In the cab market is Lithium Cabs, which uses only Mahindra EON vehicles, but for B2B use. They believe that the large-scale adoption of electric vehicles can bring the monumental change we need. Apart from Lithium, there also is Zoomcar, which also has tied up with Mahindra and Mahindra for the rental of Electric Vehicles. There also are startups like SmartE in the e-rickshaw space. 

Currently, Delhi seems to be a thriving hub for e-rickshaws. According to a report by Centre of Civil Society, between April 2013 to March 2017 the number of registered e-rickshaws in the city was at 29,123, but the number of unregistered vehicles was more than a lakh.

Battery degradation is one of the biggest concerns for electric car owners and potential buyers, but data from Tesla battery packs have been very reassuring so far.

Now the latest data shows less than 10% degradation of the energy capacity after over 160,000 miles on Tesla’s battery packs.

A group of Tesla owners on the Dutch-Belgium Tesla Forum are gathering data from over 350 Tesla vehicles across the world and frequently updating it in a public Google file.

We have previously reported on the data, but they have since added many more vehicles and those vehicles have been driving a lot more – completing more battery cycles.

The data clearly shows that for the first 50,000 miles (100,000 km), most Tesla battery packs will lose about 5% of their capacity, but after the 50,000-mile mark, the capacity levels off and it looks like it could be difficult to make a pack degrade by another 5%.

The trend line currently suggests that the average battery pack could cycle through over 300,000 km (186,000) before coming close to 90% capacity.

Here are the relevant charts from the data gathering effort (full chart on the left and zoomed to 80% on the right):

There are a few outlier battery packs out there and they tried to figure out why by gathering other data, like frequency of DC fast-charging and daily state of charge, but there’s no clear indication that any of those factors have any significant impact based on their data.

With this said, Jeff Dahn, a renowned battery researcher and the leader of Tesla’s research partnership through his battery-research group at Dalhousie University, said that he recommends charging to only 70% daily in order to extend battery life.

Tesla warns that it does not cover battery degradation from “battery usage” under its Model S and Model X warranty up to any specific level:

“The Battery, like all lithium-ion batteries, will experience gradual energy or power loss with time and use. Loss of Battery energy or power over time or due to or resulting from Battery usage, is NOT covered under this Battery Limited Warranty. See your owner documentation for important information on how to maximize the life and capacity of the Battery.”

But for the Model 3, Tesla introduced a warranty with a new 70% battery capacity retention guarantee.

The Model 3 is equipped with different battery cells and a new battery pack architecture, but if data from the Model S is any indication, it shouldn’t be an issue.

A private power company has unveiled WA’s biggest battery, which will store enough electricity to power 50,000 homes and be located in the heart of the State’s lucrative iron ore industry.

In what it believes will be a portent for the future of the electricity system, Alinta Energy yesterday launched a 30MW lithium iron battery attached to its Newman power station in the Pilbara.

The project, which cost $45 million to build, was delivered by South Korean company Kokam and comprises 100 individual batteries each capable of powering the typical home for 90 days.

While the battery was ostensibly designed to ensure Alinta could provide more reliable power to Gina Rinehart’s Roy Hill iron ore mine, 120km to the north east, the company indicated it was a sign of things to come.

Ken Woolley, Alinta’s general manager of merchant energy, said batteries were looming as a crucial part of the electricity grid, especially as greater amounts of renewable generation came on stream. This was because batteries could almost instantly balance competing forces on the system, whether it was the wind not blowing, demand suddenly falling away or a power plant tripping.

Mr Woolley predicted the integration of big-scale batteries into the grid would only gather pace as technology advanced and costs came down. He flagged plans to build one in Port Hedland, where the Hong Kong-owned company has a 200MW power station.

“Over time it will become more commercial,” Mr Woolley said.

“There is no doubt that battery is going to be seen more and more and not just in this country.

“It’s already been seen right round the world … in large, utility-scale grids in the US, in South Korea, elsewhere in Europe.”

In the case of the Newman installation, Mr Woolley said it was hoped the battery would shave millions of dollars of its annual gas bill by allowing it to run the plant more efficiently.

Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan said the launch of the Newman battery highlighted the potential for the technology to change the way power was delivered.

The Penn State Class of 2015 gift, a solar panel array, was installed onto a bus stop near Beaver Stadium and dedicated by Penn State President Eric Barron on April 2.

The bus stop on Curtin Road near the Stadium West parking lot is now able to show real-time CATA bus locations and serve as a charging station for electronics. Riders also will be able to learn about the history of solar energy as they are waiting for their buses to arrive.

“To install the array at a bus stop was creative, cost-effective, and scalable, with the potential to be replicated across campus and throughout State College,” Barron said in a release. “In choosing the solar panel array as its gift to the university, the Class of 2015 has shown its belief in Penn State’s position as a leader on some of the world’s biggest challenges.”

When the gift was first announced, the 2015 Senior Class Gift committee decided to turn the potential application design for the solar panel array into a competition. The only requirement for the design teams was that there needed to be at least one current student involved.

Geoff Hallett, the advisor to the 2015 class gift, explained that the winning team’s design, a solar bus stop, was submitted to the Board of Trustees and university leadership for approval. Two State College companies were hired to design and implement the winning model. Architects Weber Murphy Fox designed the bus stop and the solar array was designed and installed by Envinity.

“The displays and charging station are ‘off the grid,’ meaning that they do not require any input from the larger university electrical grid in order to provide power,” Hallett said. “The 2015 Class Gift committee hopes that the solar bus stop will continue to raise awareness of how we can incorporate solar power into our existing environment and teach the community at large the history and potential for the future of solar energy.”

Ted Hozza, a 2015 Penn State graduate, said he thinks it’s important that the class gift focuses on the use of renewable energy.

“I think that the integration of the solar array into a bus shelter shows a focus on sustainability as it uses renewable energy to protect those who choose to use public transportation while also using a cost-effective way to give back energy to the grid,” Hozza said. “Not only is the shelter sustainable and more aesthetically pleasing than the last iteration of shelters, it can also be a model to replace other locations across campus as well as in downtown State College.”

This bus stop will allow Penn State to investigate the feasibility of adding solar panels to more bus stops on local CATA bus routes.