By Battery Power Staff
November 11, 2021 | Across the batteries industry, new products include offerings from Eaton, Sensata Technologies, and Green Cubes; company updates and developments from SK Innovation, 6K, Aqua Metals, American Battery Technology Company; and new technology developments from Group14 Technologies and Farasis.
Eaton has launched its new LXP-P series solutions comprised of lightweight battery cabinets with pre-installed batteries using lithium-ion phosphate technology. For uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) in North America, the new LXP-P series equips users in large facilities to safely and effectively leverage lithium-ion UPS solutions to protect critical infrastructure from devastating outages. Eaton believes in the game-changing potential of this technology to provide longer battery life and lower total cost of ownership when compared with lead acid and other lithium-ion alternatives. Capable of providing megawatts of power in a small footprint, Eaton’s LXP-P series solutions offer safe, reliable and flexible performance for UPS applications. The solutions integrate seamlessly with Eaton’s 9395 UPS with no need for external AC feeds to the battery, as the battery management system is self-powered. Press release.
American Battery Technology Company received a competitively-bid $2 million contract award from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), for the commercial demonstration of its integrated lithium-ion battery recycling system and production of battery cathode grade metal products, the synthesis of high energy density active cathode material from these recycled battery metals by cathode producer and lithium-ion battery recycler BASF, and then the fabrication of large format automotive battery cells from these recycled materials and the testing of these cells against otherwise identical cells made from virgin sourced metals by cell technology developer C4V. The contract award, which includes a 75% cost-share, funds a 30-month project that began in October 2021. The program’s focus is to demonstrate that battery grade metals can be manufactured from recycled materials at lower cost, lower environmental impact, and with higher domestic US sourced content than conventional virgin sourced metals. This is American Battery Technology Company’s first contract with USABC. Press release.
Green Cubes Technology has announced its Guardian family of Lithium-ion Battery Backup Units. The Guardian family of batteries are targeted at rack mount installations in the Telecom and Data Center industries. Telecom and Data Center industries are required to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to support mission critical functions. These applications require battery backup solutions that are reliable, safe and cost effective. Traditionally, when an AC grid fails, these applications rely on a centralized Uninterruptible Power Sources (UPS) that utilizes large, heavy lead-acid batteries as the power source. The Guardian family of Lithium-ion batteries from Green Cubes will support these same applications at a fraction of the weight, size and total cost of ownership. Press release.
Aqua Metals has signed a collaboration agreement with LINICO Corporation, a cleantech innovator and aggregator focused on closed-loop lithium-ion battery recycling, to process lithium-ion battery black mass into high-quality metals. This agreement, which sets the parameters for future research and development cooperation, strengthens both companies’ expansion into lithium-ion battery recycling and builds on the two companies’ commitment to advancing best-in-class technologies designed to recycle lithium-ion batteries cost-effectively and sustainably. Aqua Metals and LiNiCo plans to source the necessary lithium-ion feedstock from battery manufacturing scrap and end-of-life cells from various sources, including electric vehicle battery suppliers interested in participating in the eco-network the two companies announced earlier this year. LiNiCo will process the feedstock into high-quality black mass utilizing its proprietary process. The resulting black mass will be used as input feedstock for Aqua Metals’ AquaRefining pilot cells to create high purity metals such as nickel, cobalt, and copper as well as other compounds. Press release.
6K has appointed Sam Trinch as president of 6K Energy, the company’s energy storage division. 6K also announced the hiring of Chad McDonald as senior vice president of business development and strategy as well as Thanh Nguyen as senior vice president of deployment for the 6K Energy group. Through its sustainable UniMelt microwave production platform, 6K Energy has proven it can significantly drive down battery material costs by 50-70% while producing a range of battery materials including NMC 811 single crystal, silicon anode, LFP, and LLZO to name a few. All three executives will help guide the partnership, commercial and go-to-market strategies helping to further establish 6K Energy as the leading organization for sustainable, low cost, domestic supply of performance battery materials. Press release.
Sensata Technologies announced its new High Voltage Junction Box solutions provide safe and reliable protection and power distribution for high power charging of commercial electric vehicles. The solutions include DC Charging Boxes that support megawatt charging of medium and heavy-duty electric trucks up to 850 Volts and 1300 Amps. Combining Sensata’s proven contactor, fuse, and controller technologies into a compact package, the new High Voltage Junction Boxes are custom designed for specific vehicle requirements. To meet current carry and temperature requirements, Sensata’s cooling and temperature control technology directly interfaces to the busbars and provides exceptional cooling efficiency within tight space restraints. For additional safety, Sensata’s isolation monitoring design ensures isolation of the high voltage from the chassis. The solutions’ software and controllers are built on the AUTOSAR platform. Press release.
Microvast has announced plans to establish a new research and development (R&D) facility and create a projected 100 new, high-wage jobs in the Orlando region. These jobs will pay 60% more than the average wage in Seminole County. The operation presents an expected investment of $25 million for its new laboratory and research space including building renovations, machinery, and equipment, in the city of Lake Mary. Microvast’s new R&D facility encompasses 75,000 square-feet of space that will support a wide array of engineering and materials science work. The center will house the full range of battery development operations, including work on cells, modules and packs. Full story.
Solid Power, which is in the process of merging with Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation III, has announced a partnership with SK Innovation Co to manufacture automotive-scale all-solid-state batteries under a memorandum of understanding and joint development agreement. Together, the partnership is expected to enable SK Innovation to produce automotive-scale all-solid-state battery cells utilizing Solid Power’s sulfide-based solid electrolyte, proprietary cell designs and production processes. The partnership is intended to facilitate the validation of Solid Power’s all-solid-state cell development and production techniques as part of the industry-standard automotive qualification process. This marks a key milestone on Solid Power’s strategic roadmap to achieve commercial production of all-solid-state battery cells for electric vehicle integration and use. Through the joint development agreement, SK Innovation and Solid Power plan to cooperate on all-solid-state cell development, validation and production to enable Solid Power to deliver pre-commercial all-solid-state cells to the Company’s automotive customers for qualification testing. Solid Power’s Silicon EV Cell is expected to be safer, provide longer range, and cost less than today’s leading lithium-ion batteries. Press release.
In the latest milestone for EV performance, Group14 Technologies and Farasis announced the first silicon-based anode for an EV-scale battery with 25% greater energy density than what is available on the market today. In cells built and tested by Farasis utilizing Group14’s flagship silicon-carbon anode material SCC55, the company has achieved an increase in energy density that would enable them to reach 330 Wh/kg in typical automotive cells with more than 1000 charge-discharge cycles. The battery EV cell will have a volumetric energy density of 750 Wh/l. Press release.
