Unlocking Independence, Sustainability, and Safety in the Battery Industry

In order to advance the battery sector and successfully implement the energy transition, it is essential to produce sustainable batteries and assess the condition of the batteries.

FREMONT, CA: Sustainability, safety, and independence will be the main areas of focus for e-mobility and energy storage in the upcoming year, regardless of whether sodium-ion or cobalt-free lithium-ion batteries are used.

New developments in the battery market are on the surface. The focus in battery production is primarily on cost and safety, and the expectation is for sodium-ion batteries. Global leaders in battery manufacturing and development have recognised this trend and recently announced the market launch of sodium-ion batteries for 2023. For applications requiring lower energy density and lower-cost batteries, sodium ions are the solution (per kWh). They are more secure and use environmentally friendly materials.

Numerous other new battery types, in addition to sodium ions, are either poised to make a breakthrough or are already well-established on the market. Among these are LMFP (lithium manganese iron phosphate) accumulators, which use conventional LFP (lithium iron phosphate) with manganese as an additive. The performance of conventional LFP batteries may be improved by this manganese addition. The tendency towards continuously increasing silicon content in the electrode, which is otherwise made of graphite, is still present on the anode side.

Moreover, conventional batteries are already under pressure from solid-state and lithium metal batteries, which promise to revolutionise battery performance. Due to the absence of hazardous chemicals, solid-state batteries may be produced more sustainably. There are already several plans in the works to bring solid-state batteries to the market on a large scale by 2025. However, standard batteries are constantly evolving, it is unclear whether solid-state batteries will ever make the quantum leap.

Switching to alternatives like sodium and magnesium is the first step towards reducing reliance on a few cell manufacturers, as both supply and further processing of the materials can take place close to the production lines.

Battery reliability and cost-effective operation are prioritised when talking to public transportation and heavy-duty mobility operators.  Companies want to understand how long the equipment can be used before it needs to be replaced when batteries need to be replaced, and how to reuse batteries that can no longer be used in electric vehicles. Despite the numerous incidents in the public transportation sector, the issue of safety is, unfortunately, taking a back seat.

For stationary energy storage systems, the scenario is similar. However, the electrification of the stationary energy storage sector is already a few years ahead. Companies in this industry initially concentrated on learning how to utilise the system, what risks to watch out for, and how to boost revenue. After gaining this understanding, attention turned to ensuring that energy storage devices were operated safely.

Early adopters, innovators who embrace and test new ideas at an early stage, have so far been responsible for the electrification developments that have been observed in the public transportation industry. Since the industry is rapidly transforming, safety will take on increasing significance for the public transportation sector in the coming months. As the overall battery size is rapidly increasing along with the likelihood of a safety incident, this is a positive development.