Energy Storage

Sionic Energy are a US company developing silicon anode Li-ion batteries.

Geyser Batteries Oy are a Finnish start-up commercialising their hybrid battery/supercapacitor technology. IDTechEx caught up with Stefan Strohmayer, Director Sales and Product Mangement.

The promise of silicon anodes in providing a step change improvement to Li-ion battery energy density has led to considerable interest from the industry. Around 30 start-ups, or early stage companies, are developing silicon anode technology and approximately US$2 billion of funding has been secured by these companies, with some into their second decade of development. New companies are still being founded, lured by the massive opportunity afforded by the battery and electric vehicle markets, while others are at the early stages of commercialisation. This premium article gives an introduction into some of the key start-ups in the silicon anode space.

Sodium-ion battery cathode producer Altris AB has today signed a deal with AB Sandvik Materials Technology to house the company's first industrial scale manufacturing facility in Sandviken. The new facility, called 'Ferrum', will have the annual capacity to produce 2000 metric tonnes of Altris' ground-breaking cathode material Fennac - enabling 1GWh of sustainable sodium-ion batteries to enter the market each year.

BYD Co Ltd presents the latest models of the successful Battery-Box series of energy storage systems. Highlights include the introduction of the new BYD Battery-Max Lite for industrial and commercial application as well as a preview on the Battery-Box HVC .

An industry-first application of liquid air energy storage energy efficiency technology is now a live IEEA demonstrator project at Aggregate Industries' Cauldon Cement Works.

Current Direct is demonstrating a swappable battery solution for powering inland waterway vessels, with one or more lithium-ion batteries installed in a swappable container, or e-house. Project estimates indicate that the use of swappable batteries connected to an energy-as-a-service platform could reduce European water transport emissions by 482 000 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents each year.

Legacy DC fast charging stations are time- and capital-intensive to install. Battery-integrated fast charging units require no civil work and can operate without a grid connection (in some cases) or only require connection to the medium voltage grid (much like level 2 chargers). This also introduces a new business model — infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) — which caters to grid constraint urban areas where demand for fast charging exists. Portable, mobile charging units are also offering roadside assistance to stranded EVs. This article explores the commercial activity happening in these two segments and outlines some prominent companies and their products.

A research group, utilizing inexpensive elements, has demonstrated the feasibility of synthesizing electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. If explored further, this method could reduce industrial reliance on rare metals such as cobalt and nickel.

Torqeedo today announced a collaboration with Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH to integrate hydrogen fuel cell charging into Torqeedo's industry-leading propulsion systems for electric boats. The two companies will work together on an innovative marine hydrogen hybrid building kit integrating Torqeedo's existing Deep Blue battery-electric drive systems and Proton Motor's advanced fuel cell technology.

AFC Energy is pleased to announce that one of its hydrogen fuel cells is being showcased at Air One - the world's first fully operational Urban-Air Port, situated in Coventry, which opened last week. The hydrogen fuel cell being supplied by the Company is being used to charge Air One's fleet of EV service vehicles.

Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action formally announced its "Battery Pass" project and its eleven consortium members, including Circulor, the leading supply chain traceability provider, as the project's technology implementor. The announcement marks the beginning of a three-year, German-funded R&D project to develop core data specifications and technical standards for a "passport", as well as a standardized dataspace to manage batteries that are manufactured or placed into service in the European Union.

The light transporter from Quantron offers a battery-electric cargo solution, ideal for sustainable deliveries over the last mile, in plant traffic and for municipalities.

SUN Mobility is an Indian battery swapping operator. Its open-architecture energy infrastructure solution, which includes smart batteries that can be swapped at quick interchange stations, is enabling electrification, especially in the shared mobility segments.

In 2007, the Fisker Automotive Company was founded by current CEO Henrik Fisker and Bernhard Koehler. Fisker Automotive Company had a tumultuous existence with early setbacks jeopardizing the company's future and leading to its bankruptcy. In 2016, Henrik Fisker revived the brand and it is now on the way to mass production at the end of 2022.

SCHOTT AG is a large multinational company whose core is in specialty glassmaking. SCHOTT's product range encompasses virtually every area where glass is used, from telescope mirror materials to historical glazing for building restoration — this profile, however, focuses on its activities around augmented reality (AR), particularly in optical waveguide substrates. SCHOTT's head office is in Mainz, Germany.

If you could shrink enough for a fantastic voyage across a lithium battery electrode, you'd see the level of charge at every scale is highly uneven. This is not good for the battery's health. Researchers who recognize the problem worked to view in great detail how the various particles in an electrode interact with lithium during use.

Engineers have designed a heat engine with no moving parts. Their new demonstrations show that it converts heat to electricity with over 40 percent efficiency — a performance better than that of traditional steam turbines.

This premium article explores ChargedEVs, an online series of presentations relating to the electric vehicle market. This article will cover presentations relating to materials and components for the EV battery pack and electric motors, with a focus on thermal management and system protection.

As the population ages and with the advancements in medical technology, the number of patients using implanted electronic devices, such as artificial pacemakers and defibrillators, is increasing worldwide. Currently, the batteries of body-implanted devices are replaced by an incision surgery, which may lead to health complications. Accordingly, a new charging technique by wireless energy transfer is emerging that can also be used to charge the batteries of underwater devices, such as sensors, that are used for monitoring the conditions of submarine cables.