Lithium: The Key Resource

As we fast move towards an economy dominated by electric vehicles powered by Li-ion battery technology, the cost and abundance of lithium will become a major political and commercial issue. Some recent reports have questioned the long term viability of lithium.

A report by the Technology Review summarizes the latest position. The Review expects demand for the metal to double in the next 10 years, and Bolivia, with an untapped resource estimated at nine million tons by the U.S. Geological Survey, is being called a potential "Saudi Arabia of lithium."

More information (with great pictures) may be found here:

The Lithium Rush

Companies involved in energy storage will need to continually adopt to these new market conditions, and the exploration of novel technologies not based on lithium will need to be examined.

Jerry

Sodium-ion Batteries: Interest Grows

Following on from my post last month regarding the upsurge of interest in Sodium-ion technology, 44 Tech, a start-up company based in Pittsburgh, PA, will receive $5 million from the U.S. Department of Energy, as part of the 2009 Recovery Act, to develop aqueous sodium-ion batteries. These cells will differ from the non-aqueous counterparts described by me in an earlier post, in that they will operate at much lower voltage (due to the limited voltage stability window of the electrolyte). On the positive side, if these systems can be demonstrated successfully, they may prove extremely safe and inexpensive.

The full story may be found here:

Sodium-ion Cells for Cheap Energy Storage

Jerry

Imara: Battery Start-up Closes

The GreenTechMedia website has reported that Imara, the Li-ion battery start-up company located in Menlo Park, California, has ceased operations.

The report can be found here:

GreenTechMedia reports the demise of Imara

Imara's company website can be found here:

Imara Corporation

Recent reports have suggested that the company has experienced a delay in ramping up operations and could not line up investors to build a factory. Imara had started to make prototype and sample quantities of batteries in its Menlo Park, Calif. facility.

Imara employed 38 scientists and engineers. It will try to sell its assets and intellectual property but right now the company is shut down.

GreenTechMedia speculates that the demise of Imara could portend bad news for other green startups. The battery business is generally dominated by large, Asian manufacturers and many of the grants from the Department of Energy did go to joint ventures partly owned by foreign companies. Two joint ventures with South Korean partners – Dow Kokam and Compact Power – received $312.4 million earlier this year from the DOE. Only a few U.S.-based lithium-ion battery makers such as A123 Systems and EnerDel have received stimulus funds.

Jerry

Nexeon - Unique Silicon Li-ion Anode Technology

Nexeon, the UK-based Li-ion battery materials and licensing company has launched its new website:

Nexeon - Unique Silicon Li-ion Anode Technology

The company is developing nano-structured silicon materials for incorporation into next generation lithium-ion batteries.

The website reports that recent tests have shown that low first cycle loss and extended cycle life can be achieved using Nexeon’s silicon anode materials at a lower cost than graphite for a given capacity. The low-cost silicon anode technology demonstrates a clear commercial viability compared to other more expensive approaches such as silicon nano-fibres, ribbons or tubes.

Nexeon has developed a number of materials, proprietary processes and equipment for producing the material and for making electrodes. It has 12 patent families in progress worldwide, the first of which is granted and others which are now being published. This includes patents on high-aspect ratio silicon materials and the use of such materials in lithium ion batteries.