Latest news with #energydensity
TechCrunch
a day ago
- Automotive
- TechCrunch
Nascent Materials emerges from stealth to make LFP batteries better and cheaper
Lithium-ion batteries have dropped in cost by 75% over the past decade, a marvel of research and development that isn't the result of a singular breakthrough but of myriad incremental improvements. Few know that better than Chaitanya Sharma, founder of the stealthy Nascent Materials. Sharma spent a little over two years working at Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada and another two leading iM3NY, a lithium-ion manufacturer in New York. Since leaving iM3NY in November 2023, he's been working on a new way to process cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries — one of those small improvements that promises to continue driving down costs. Nascent's new process could improve energy density of the cathode by up to 12% while costing 30% less to make. 'In my mind, developing a new exotic chemistry is not really the way that I want to go,' Sharma told TechCrunch. 'I want to develop new ways of making material.' Sharma's manufacturing-focused approach has attracted early investment. Nascent recently raised $2.3 million in a seed round led by SOSV, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The New Jersey Innovation Evergreen Fund and UM6P Ventures also participated. The startup's initial focus is on making lithium-ion-phosphate (LFP) and lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate, (LMFP), two cathode materials that have gained favor among automakers and data center operators. Recent improvements have brought LFP energy density closer to higher-end nickel- and cobalt-based chemistries but at much lower costs. But there's still room for improvement. Sharma said that obtaining materials with consistent quality was a challenge at iM3NY, one that contributed to the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in January. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW The problem stems from supply chain inequities. Large players like Tesla's Gigafactory, which it operates in partnership with Panasonic, tend to get more consistent material, Sharma said. 'The small players, which, by the way, spend $100 million to $200 million on their factories as well, they get the outlier material.' 'That really became the reason why I wanted to launch Nascent Materials — because I want to make sure that I provide consistent materials to all customers,' Sharma said. Cathode material tends to come in powders, and while it might look consistent to the naked eye, slight variations in the grains can have an outsized impact on the final result. Sharma said Nascent has developed a process that uses less energy while also promising to create particles that are more consistently sized and shaped. That allows the material to be packed more tightly, improving energy density. The process offers additional supply chain advantages. It can also use lower-purity raw materials, he said, opening up more domestic supplies. While Nascent is focused on LFP and LMFP today, Sharma said the company plans to expand to other chemistries, including nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-manganese-rich (LMR), a relatively new chemistry that GM will introduce in 2028. That domestic focus addresses a critical industry dependency. Today, the vast majority of cathode material is made in China. 'How can I not rely on China for them?' Sharma said. 'That's really what we are focused on — simplifying the supply chain so we can utilize local raw materials, so that drives the cost down.'
Top Gear
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Can Huawei's next-gen EV battery really claim 1,800 miles of range?
Electric The solid-state chemists have been tinkering with nitrogen dope this time, but its claims of 2,000/3,000km might be a little... speculative Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading A Chinese company called Huawei has received patent approval for a solid-state battery chemistry that some media is claiming supports a range of around 3,000km and a charge time of five minutes. Wait, what? Those claims come from the fact the scientists have produced a Li-S solid-state battery, where the solid sulfide-based electrolyte – together with a lithium-metal anode – offers better ionic conductivity and decent energy density. Advertisement - Page continues below The chemistry is then doped (their word, not ours) with nitrogen from cyanide to reduce side reactions that result in pesky dendrite formation. That's like plaque build-up, which eventually causes all batteries to fail. These added elements clean up the contacts, meaning the main chemicals can continue reacting, aiding the charging cycle rate, and keeping temperatures lower than in conventional batteries. Those clever folk in lab coats are targeting an energy density upwards of 400Wh/kg, and might reasonably get a solid-state battery to 600Wh/kg. You might like And that, kids, is the figure being extrapolated to get to that magic 3,000km mark. Realistically speaking, 1,800 miles on one charge is not, well... realistic. The energy required to drive 1,800 miles would need a whopping 500kWh battery (on current consumption rates). If the Huawei scientists manage to reach an energy density of even 500Wh/kg, then that battery would weigh a literal tonne - roughly 1.5x the total weight of the 93kWh battery in the Porsche Taycan. For context, the Taycan battery's current energy density is 169Wh/kg, with a range of only 300 miles. Advertisement - Page continues below As for those five-minute 'blaze-charging' claims? That's a whole infrastructure conversation for another time. Whether these things will be possible in the future is yet to be seen, but for now, best to heed caution... Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make breakthrough that could change electric vehicles forever: 'This technology overcomes the shortcomings'
A team of researchers has developed a high-performance supercapacitor that overcomes the traditional limitations of energy density through the use of carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers. Supercapacitors have the ability to charge and deliver large amounts of energy quickly, and they are resilient enough to survive millions of charge and discharge cycles without much degradation. However, they have less energy density than conventional batteries, which means they're not useful over long periods of time without recharging. This has limited their use in practical applications, such as electric vehicles and drones, according to the National Research Council of Science and Technology in a report shared by TechXplore. Scott Donne, a supercapacitor and battery material researcher at the University of Newcastle in Australia, clarified where supercapacitors stand in comparison to other technologies. "You've got capacitors with high power but low energy; fuel cells with high energy but low power; and batteries sitting in the middle — which is why they are the most popular of the three," Donne told Chemistry World. Now, researchers led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku and Dr. Seo Gyun Kim of the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Professor Yuanzhe Piao of Seoul National University have discovered a way to improve the energy density and power delivery of supercapacitors through the use of new materials. The combination of highly conductive single-walled carbon nanotubes and polyaniline polymer created a sophisticated fiber structure that lets their new supercapacitor store more energy while being able to release it at a faster rate, the report explained. "This technology overcomes the shortcomings of supercapacitors by using single-walled carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers," said Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku. Tests have shown that it maintains stable performance, even after 100,000 charge and discharge cycles, and that it's durable enough to function in high-voltage applications. This opens up the possibility for use in electric vehicles, where it could replace or complement existing lithium-ion batteries. The technology provides efficient power delivery along with fast charging capabilities that could improve overall EV range and performance. If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. With a boost in efficiency and performance, these new supercapacitors could increase the appeal of EVs and help shift the tide away from gas-guzzling alternatives that burn dirty fuels. These composite fiber structures of the CNT-PANI design also provide high mechanical flexibility, which means they could be rolled and folded, according to the report. In the study, published in the journal Composites Part B: Engineering and shared by ScienceDirect, data showed that the cells maintained 100% retention, even after being folded 180 degrees. This resilience has helped the researchers create thin film-like structures, which could further expand supercapacitor use in next-generation electronics, such as wearables. The addition of low-cost polymers has also helped them lower production costs and create a plan for mass production across a variety of applications, paving the way for commercialization. "We will continue to develop and industrialize ultra-high-performance carbon fibers based on carbon nanotubes," said Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Researchers make breakthrough that could change electric vehicles forever: 'This technology overcomes the shortcomings'
A team of researchers has developed a high-performance supercapacitor that overcomes the traditional limitations of energy density through the use of carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers. Supercapacitors have the ability to charge and deliver large amounts of energy quickly, and they are resilient enough to survive millions of charge and discharge cycles without much degradation. However, they have less energy density than conventional batteries, which means they're not useful over long periods of time without recharging. This has limited their use in practical applications, such as electric vehicles and drones, according to the National Research Council of Science and Technology in a report shared by TechXplore. Scott Donne, a supercapacitor and battery material researcher at the University of Newcastle in Australia, clarified where supercapacitors stand in comparison to other technologies. "You've got capacitors with high power but low energy; fuel cells with high energy but low power; and batteries sitting in the middle — which is why they are the most popular of the three," Donne told Chemistry World. Now, researchers led by Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku and Dr. Seo Gyun Kim of the Carbon Composite Materials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and Professor Yuanzhe Piao of Seoul National University have discovered a way to improve the energy density and power delivery of supercapacitors through the use of new materials. The combination of highly conductive single-walled carbon nanotubes and polyaniline polymer created a sophisticated fiber structure that lets their new supercapacitor store more energy while being able to release it at a faster rate, the report explained. "This technology overcomes the shortcomings of supercapacitors by using single-walled carbon nanotubes and conductive polymers," said Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku. Tests have shown that it maintains stable performance, even after 100,000 charge and discharge cycles, and that it's durable enough to function in high-voltage applications. This opens up the possibility for use in electric vehicles, where it could replace or complement existing lithium-ion batteries. The technology provides efficient power delivery along with fast charging capabilities that could improve overall EV range and performance. If you were going to purchase an EV, which of these factors would be most important to you? Cost Battery range Power and speed The way it looks Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. With a boost in efficiency and performance, these new supercapacitors could increase the appeal of EVs and help shift the tide away from gas-guzzling alternatives that burn dirty fuels. These composite fiber structures of the CNT-PANI design also provide high mechanical flexibility, which means they could be rolled and folded, according to the report. In the study, published in the journal Composites Part B: Engineering and shared by ScienceDirect, data showed that the cells maintained 100% retention, even after being folded 180 degrees. This resilience has helped the researchers create thin film-like structures, which could further expand supercapacitor use in next-generation electronics, such as wearables. The addition of low-cost polymers has also helped them lower production costs and create a plan for mass production across a variety of applications, paving the way for commercialization. "We will continue to develop and industrialize ultra-high-performance carbon fibers based on carbon nanotubes," said Dr. Bon-Cheol Ku. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
