Energy Storage

Toyota and Daimler presented at a recent IDTechEx conference on their fuel cell vehicle programs. A questioner asked them to reveal the unique selling proposition of fuel cell vehicles. They said there is no USP.

By using highly conductive, flexible carbon nanotube mats, scientists have developed a new type of flexible lithium-ion battery that not only stores energy, but can be folded, bent and manipulated hundreds of times without voltage fluctuations.

PowerCell Sweden AB has signed an important agreement with 3M to secure future supplies of MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly). The agreement with 3M secures PowerCell's supplies for the increased demand of the fuel cell stacks PowerCell S1 and S2.

IDTechEx Technology Analyst Lorenzo Grande looks at the example of TankTwo. While the US Government throws millions of dollars into post-Li-ion development, and private companies struggle with smartphone recalls due to defective batteries, a bunch of innovative inventors are putting a good deal of lateral thinking into how to make the best of what is already on the market.

At IDTechEx we believe that the future of the energy, mobility, electronics, and communications industry will be strongly shaped by the development of one key enabling technology, that is, energy storage. At the historical tipping point of structural change in these sectors there has never been a better time for a dedicated forum on energy storage as key enabling technology.

Panasonic Corporation announced that it has developed a Flexible Lithium-ion Battery with a thickness of only 0.55mm.

TankTwo is a Finnish company developing smart Li-ion batteries that enable a full charge in 3 minutes by physically refuelling an EV tank with 18650 cells.

Battery researchers have been focusing on lithium metal electrodes as leading contenders for improving the amount of energy that batteries can store without increasing their weight.

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have made an important breakthrough which could lead to the design of better fuel cell materials.

The South Korean giant Samsung just got itself into dire straits as the story behind the reported battery fires related to the Galaxy Note 7 unfolds even further. As of September, 92 accidents have been reported in the US alone.

A new approach could hold the key to greatly improving the performance of commercial lithium-ion batteries.

The South Korean giant Samsung just got itself into dire straits as the story behind the reported battery fires related to the Galaxy Note 7 unfolds even further. As of September, 92 accidents have been reported in the US alone. IDTechEx expert Dr Lorenzo Grande gives the lowdown on Samsung's battery woes.

Supercapacitors are an emerging energy storage technology that will take a key role in the future of energy systems. Whilst lithium-ion batteries are increasingly capturing the market of other battery technologies, they will never be able to compete with supercapacitor technology in terms of power and number of cycles.

Hitachi Zosen is a Japanese company that is working on a sulphide-based solid-state battery with a new process to fabricate Li-ion batteires by press forming.

EMPA are the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. They are currently working on a novel, hydride-based solid-state electrolyte that has a higher ionic conductivity than liquid electrolytes.

Researchers have developed a novel nanomaterial that could improve the performance and lower the costs of fuel cells by using fewer precious metals like platinum or palladium.

In the final edition of a five part series on Residential, Commercial/Industrial and Utility batteries, Technology Analyst Dr Xiaoxi He looks at the go-to-market strategies prominent amongst players today.

A powerful new material developed researchers could one day speed up the charging process of electric cars and help increase their driving range.

Non-toxic, edible batteries could one day power ingestible devices for diagnosing and treating disease. One team reports new progress toward that goal with their batteries made with melanin pigments, naturally found in the skin, hair and eyes.

Electric vehicles have been the centre of attention for the majority of manufacturers in this space, but here Technology Analyst Dr Xiaoxi He looks beyond this market to other Utility options. This is the penultimate article in a five part series covering some brand new IDTechEx research on this topic.